I’m 15k on Goquest on a 13x13 board but Goquest keeps matching me against low k players like 1-5ku. I have ticked the handicap option in the settings but never get any handicap stones.
How can I just get matched to 10-15k players ?
Are you winning some of the games? Goquest rank is more achievement based than strength based so I suggest you also check your rating and your opponents’ ratings. They may be closer than you expect.
But if the opponents are really too strong then that’s different ofc.
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Yeah this. Goquest has bit funny rating systems. Basically they have 2 separate systems: rating and ranks. Rating is the “one that matters” and is somewhat representative of players strength, while their ranks are more like badges for winning a lot of games.
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I’d call that ‘clever’. (Maybe apart from the confusing naming.) One is a measurement and one is a reward, clearly separated.
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Maybe not so clearly, since nobody figures it out without being told.
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I did say: Maybe apart from the confusing naming.
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Another reason might be, that there are no better matches available at the moment.
I think the server waits a short time if someone shows up, but not too long and gives you the best match which is online.
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So ranking is 15k, 7k etc, describes strength
Rating seems to a number which I thought was Elo rating, but you are saying it’s based on games played and won regardless.
Very annoying being matched with a 2k player when I am 15k. I had set the option for handicap stones but never see any.
Does not seem to be a way to chat with other players to ask them why there are no handicap stones
No the other way around xD
Rating is the elo number and describes strength. Thats also used for matching players against eachothers. Should be 3 or 4 digit number ^^
Rank (15k etc.) is based on games played and wins, or whatever “quests” player has managed to achive. A “quest” can be something like “win 5 games in a row”, i’m not sure what kinds of different quests they have. So its more like a measure of activity but doesnt correlate with playing strentgh.
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It depends mostly of the players available and your success or failures. The pairing is as fair as possible considering this. Never saw handicap games there, that’s not really in the users habits.
There is of course some delay in updating the rating so if you see a 800 (like a 15k on OGS) matched with a 2200 (a 3d on OGS), that means that he simply won quickly his way up (by winning 800, 1200,1500,1900,2000 for ex)
I never care about the honorific ranking (kyu and dan), the rating is much more an indicator of the strength. Ranking is just to please the ego of some players.
There are some handicap games. I think you usually get maybe a 2-2 stone or possibly 2-3. But you are definitely very right that it’s really rare. I think both players need to have it enabled and I’ve maybe only ever had it trigger in some bot games for myself?
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Yeah it’d be great if it didn’t conflict so badly with the usual notion of go rank.
I remember playing on GoQuest a fair while back and it was difficult to get to 23kyu when constantly being paired with 1kyu players there XD
You might have to win a certain number of games in a row to get the achievement of 23kyu, and that might be easier or harder depending on the level of the players being paired against.
I dunno if it’d be better if the the “achievements” were just win X in a row or X out of Y, though again those would be easier to do if your just sandbagged possibly or if the pairings were a bit more sensible at times.
Or maybe if you just had to beat so many X kyu players to get the achievement of X kyu either.
The above was in like 2020, another account even, but double checking now
You just beat a 1dan? Congrats, you’re now 21kyu 
(I don’t play on GoQuest or 9x9 so often)
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13x13 is populated too…
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I just started GoQuest. When I was 29k, I got matched with a 3k. I quit.