I have played over 1100 games here on OGS (i admit here that a good hunk has been against the bots) and I have won 201 of those game which comes out to 17.85% for a beginner should I be glad, or is it a case of needing to learn more about the basics?
I think if you play games with well-balanced ( = correct) Handicap & Komi settings, you should have a percentage of slightly over 50% wins, IF you keep improving.
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Hi @kissmecomix
in your case it might have less to do with learning the basics but more with playing opponents of your own strength. The vast majority of your games are no handicap games against opponents 4 or even more Stones stronger than you. If the rank of these opponents is accurate, then you have to expect to lose most of the games.
I’m not sure what the motivation is for playing much stronger players without handicap. Do you think you are learning more from better opponents? As long as they don’t treat it as a teaching game and give you a review afterward I think you are just being outplayed and it gets difficult to point out the one mistake that cost you the game.
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i prefer that way, even if they don’t review i can got back and see what and where i played or misplayed and learn tendencies of high ranked players, playing those equal to me has been disappointing.
that’s true if you like handicaps, i find a handicap, might become a crutch.
Well, it seems that you’re reluctant to rely on the wisdom of the last perhaps 200 years of Go history … where handicap was introduced to the game not only to compensate the difference between a stronger and a weaker player, but also for the weaker player to learn how to use the provided stones at that level and for the stronger player to learn how to defend themselves against this many enemy stones.
With your reluctance to use handicap against stronger players, and your reluctance to play weaker players, I predict that you will alienate both …
- the weaker players by depriving them of an opportunity to learn from you, and
- the stronger players for possibly boring them to death, for depriving them of a chance to learn on a higher level by having to fight and survive against more enemy stones.
Honestly, I suggest that you trust your fellow Go players a little more, esp. the more experienced ones … it looks a little odd to me that you first ask questions and then reply with your fixed opinions that oppose common Go wisdom.
Greetings, Tom
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not opposing what is Tom, I’m taking a closer look at the practice. Let’s just say for the sake of debate, are there handicaps in tournaments? furthermore would weaker players play stronger one in the same tournament?
I get the premise of teaching games and such, however, if one is looking to be competitive and tournament worthy, I think it best to practice the same, play that way then once done analyze why you won,lost, and what could be played better, through that, a player can gain ‘combat experience’ and learn how to handle the pressures of actual serious play .
Yeah, sure 
[quote=“kissmecomix, post:7, topic:7292”]
are there handicaps in tournaments?[/quote]There exist tournaments with and tournaments without Handicap.
[quote]furthermore would weaker players play stronger one in the same tournament?
[/quote]In both kinds of tournaments weaker players play stronger players, and stronger players play weaker players, and I have never heard of tournaments just within one rank, like “Tournament only for 7k players”.
BTW I wonder … you have asked questions and you have received answers, and what exactly is it that you want to debate?
okay, i get that, but do the weaker players play with a handicap in a tournament?
Well, in those tournaments that allow Handicap it is, of course, the weaker players who take Handicap 