See the table below for some approximate stats on International chess, Chinese chess, Japanese chess and Go -Paolo Casaschi wrote:In other words, I only start using the "initial" 2h time allotment after I exceed three times the 60s per move limit. Correct?Christopher Kreuzer wrote:This bit may also be relevant: "Throughout the whole game, no time is deducted if the player plays in less than one minute. The Japanese expression for this is literally "no time" (in katakana). So when a player is said to have played in no time, it actually means within fifty-nine seconds rather than instantly."
Couple of questions for personal curiosity:
- how many moves is a typical go game?
- is zeitnot and losing on time more or less of a problem than in chess?
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Board. Size / Pieces / Diff. Pieces / Legal Posns. / Poss. Games /Av. moves
Chess 64 / 32 / 6 / 10 to 47th / 10 to 123rd / 80
Xiangqi 90 / 32 / 7 / 10 to 48th / 10 to 150th / 95
Shogi 81 / 40 / 8 / 10 to 71st / 10 to 226th / 110
Go 361 / Up to 360 / 1 / 10 to 171st / 10 to 360th / 150Time is allocated as follows -
In normal games of Go the principal thinking time allowed is 1.5 to 2 hours, usually combined with a byo-yomi (秒-読み = second-count) of between 20 to 30 seconds.
After the principal time has been used up the clock jumps to byo-yomi (second-count) time. Each time a player completes a move the clock jumps back. If the player does not complete the move before the clock reaches 0 seconds a flag is displayed.
For top matches the principal thinking time is 9 hours followed by 5 byo-yomi periods of 60 seconds each.
At the end of the 9 hours principal time the clock jumps to the 1st byo-yomi period of 5 minutes. Then if at any time a player completes a move BEFORE 4 mins. are exceeded the clock reverts to the 1st byo-yomi period of 5 mins. If a move is completed AFTER 4 minutes is exceeded the clock jumps to the 2nd byo-yomi period of 4 mins.
Subsequently the clock will revert to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th, or jump to the 3rd, 4th and 5th byo-yomi periods of 3, 2 and 1 minute(s) respectively in the same manner.
In the 5th and final byo-yomi period if the clock reaches 0 seconds a flag is displayed to indicate the player's time is all used up. (DGT 2000)
So the average number of moves in a game of Go is about 150.
In the match that begins in Seoul later today the time limit is for shorter "normal" games not much longer "top" ones.
Therefore there will be much more potential for time trouble to occur. Also, note that the rules of Go were slightly different in China and Japan in the 1970s. Perhaps the rules have been standardised since then in the three main centres - the other being S. Korea. No idea if Go is popular in N. Korea and whether their players would be allowed to compete internationally.
