Hello.

As you all know, in 19x19 Black always play the first move in the lower half of the top right corner. It's impolite not to do so.

But what about in 9x9? Must we also follow this tradition by playing the first move on one of the following marked points?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . C |
$$ | . . . . . . . C C |
$$ | . . , . . . C C C |
$$ | . . . . . C C C C |
$$ | . . . . C C C C C |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . . . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

I actually hate this rule of playing the first move in the lower half of the top right corner...
Because if we do that most of the time Black will end up having most of the top half of the board while White will end up having most of the bottom half of the board. And since Black seats at the bottom of the board and White seats at the top of the board it's awkward since both players will have to stretch to the opposite side of the board to play most of their moves...
So in my opinion Black should play the first move in the lower half of the bottom right corner, on one of the following marked points:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . . . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . C . . . . |
$$ | . . . . C C . . . |
$$ | . . , . C C C . . |
$$ | . . . . C C C C . |
$$ | . . . . C C C C C |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

(Playing in the lower half of the bottom left corner is maybe also a good idea if you're left handed.)

What do you think?

Not sure what that top/bottom divide is that you are talking about. Parallel fuseki us almost always played as left/right. This means that there is a tendency to end up with teritory on the right from the point of view of each player. That makes sense for right handed players.

As for the actually question, I always play that way and I see no reason why it should be different because of the small board.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

Simply, no it is not impolite for Black to play the first move elsewhere than in Black's upper right corner. And, actually, it is not impolite to play somewhere else in 19x19, maybe a little unusual but not impolite. Black's upper right corner is White's lower left so if you take that attitude Black's first move should be in White's lower left corner. However, nowadays, most go games are played on internet go servers and, I believe, both sides see the same board diagram on which to play. Thus on internet play a Black first move in the upper right is in White's upper right, too.

Some cultures are defined by their relationship to cheese.

Hmmm I usually play on the UR corner if I play sansan or 4-4 (or some other off-diagonal), but if I play on 4-5 or 3-5, I do it on the left, not sure why.

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

I have always thought that the idea of one corner to be more polite than another to be rather silly - regardless of size. After all, the board is symmetrical.

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Help make L19 more organized. Make an index: https://lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5207

Some explanations abt the history behind this tradition and why it was/is regarded as polite can be found in Sensei’s Library at Playing The First Move In The Upper Right Corner / Discussion


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Yes, I once was told that it’s a severe insult to the French if one puts Camembert into the fridge. And don’t let me begin about Ketchup …

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“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

Obviously French don't live in Spain. Leave Camembert outside of the fridge here and you'll have a stinky puddle.

NB: I wrote poodle first, then thought it seemed weird. Luckily I checked Google before submitting XD

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

The English specialise in chasing hard cheeses, which are rolling down a steep hill. There are serious injuries most year. Here's a sample of the annual cheese rolling festival: