Suggestion: Board mirroring for white (like when playing live games)

[UndeadKernel]

When playing real games, the white player sits on the other side of the board, and not on the same side as the black player, therefore, seeing a “mirrored” version of what black sees.

It’d be great if we could have the option to mirror the board for white so as to simulate the perspective of white in a real game.

[Valhall]

There is even a subtle but good reason for this suggestion: black’s first move should be made in the upper right corner, so white will see it as the lower left.

[richyfourtytwo]

@UndeadKernel

the option

I’d be fine with this as an option, but please not as the default. It makes talking about the game a lot harder.

[UndeadKernel]

Exactly this. When playing white online, I always have the feeling that my opponent is being rude playing away from me.

[Uberdude]

One of the IGS clients did this.

As I’ve played/reviewed more online than in real life, I’m actually more used to playing as white in various standard openings like the Chinese from black’s perspective, ie Chinese formation is on the right hand side of the board.

[shinuito]

I think though if one mirrors the board one should also mirror the coordinate system so that there’s no confusion about the points. Except of course if one says things like “upper left” but if one opts to mirror their own view then one should probably forgo using up/down/left/right anyway

I’ve seen chess sites do this with the coordinates.

[richyfourtytwo]

@shinuito

chess

In chess they have a lot less symmetry. They have queen’s side, king’s side, my side your side. So they don’t need upper-lower-right-left. And coordinates only help that much. Compare ‘I mis-played the upper right’ to ‘I misplayed around R17’. I know what I’d prefer. (Which is NOT to mis-play it at all of course! )

[teapoweredrobot]

First move etiquette

Where does etiquette suggest Black’s first move should be played? My understanding is that in real life games black should place his first stone in the far right corner to be polite to white. Can this translate online? I am in the habit of playing upper right as black but I’ve noticed that on the games list black is above the board and white below. Therefore should black play lower left as if black is sitting at the top of the board? (I think that really black should be at the bottom of the boa…

Also

Rotated Board for White

In today’s Samsung Cup I noticed that Ichiriki Ryo played white pieces with the board facing him the way a real board would. If you tense your eyes a little, you see black first move in bottom-left, and all other moves are rotated 180 degrees compared to the game records. [image] I got interested, I pulled up Nongshim Cup, look, the board is rotated for white. [image] This is now the only true way to play.

[DVbS78rkR7NVe]

Chess is completely different because all chess players remember all coordinates for each square by heart and refer to the moves by notation exclusively. They have less squares and each square has its own personality and role in the game, so it’s easier. And because of that when one says f5 or c3 every chess player knows exactly where it is both from white’s perspective and from black’s perspective without even a psychical board.

In go there’re a lot more intersections and they have same-y feeling to them. Yeah, you might recognize 10-10 or 16-4 right away but it’s harder and then it’ll turn out opponent uses letter-number system for some reason and now you gotta figure out if they skip that one letter or not.