I usually hold a go stone the proper way with my index and middle fingers, but sometimes I would just use my thumb and index fingers which is supposed to be the 'wrong' way. Does anyone do this too even if it's just from time to time?

Does anyone hold a go stone with one's index and ring fingers beneath the stone and the middle finger on top of the stone? I have seen it being done this way, but I guess it's not common. Is it proper though?

I am so conditioned to hold the stone with my middle finger above and index finger below that when I pick some potato chips out of a bag I automatically pick them out in the same manner.

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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).

I think I do it occasionally, too, quite possibly because I play with a lot of kids who don;t really care about any 'correct' way to hold the stone.

I got started with Hikaru No Go, of course, so I started practicing the correct way to hold a stone right after episode 2/3...which was hard to do considering I owned no real Go equipment at the time.

Does anyone know if it is proper to hold a go stone with one's index and ring fingers beneath the stone and the middle finger on top of the stone?

You can also pick up coffee in your cup that way.

I have been known to stick two fingers in my tea.

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The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Hi pragmatic, maybe you got the impression from HnG, when they animate a close-up view of all the fingertips.
I think the ring finger just happened to 'tag along' near the index finger;
it's not actually touching the stone.
( Unless the fingers are very tiny, like a child's, it's not easy to hold up a stone with all three fingers. )

Hi EdLee, you are correct about where (end of episode 3 of Hikaru no Go) I got the impression from.

But, but, but... I thought I was seeing both Touya Koyo and Hikaru picking up a stone each from the bowl with the ring finger as well. Especially in the case of Touya Koyo, if the ring finger wasn't there to support the right side of the stone, it should fall. (Just want to note another incident in the middle of episode 12 where Touya Koyo used the same technique.)

But yea, I tried using three fingers to hold a go stone, and it's quite difficult compare to with just two.

Thanks for catching where I got the reference from.

The point of using two fingers instead of a finger and a thumb is to make it easier to place the stones into a tight position without disturbing the surrounding stones.* Using three fingers to hold the stone would largely negate that advantage (and seems very awkward), so I can't imagine it being done regularly.

* While this should be the main reason to hold the stones "properly", some may also use a person's grip of the stones as a way to identify those who belong to the super secret society of go players. Hikaru no Go certainly dramatizes its use as a way to identify a "real" go player.

Hi pragmatic,

When we pick up a stone from the bowl,
usually anywhere from two to four fingers are touching the stone.
( Thumb + index + middle + ring; counting the thumb as a finger )
By the time the hand is about to place the stone,
usually only the index and middle fingers are holding it up.

Numerous pro games are available for us to observe their techniques.

These points make sense.

Thanks.

Hi pragmatic,

I tried this handicap experiment on my own hand --
if you "disable" all your fingers except for only the index & middle,
try to pick up a stone from the bowl and place it:I found that it's much more difficult than natural --
this means my thumb and/or ring finger is/are also working to transfer the stone to just before the moment of placement.

Hi pragmatic,

As a bonus experiment, you can also try to "disable"
only your thumb and pinky -- see letter 'W':

Hi pragmatic,

Advanced tesuji: disable only your ring finger

EdLee, those all make picking up a go stone a bit more difficult. It's true that the other fingers have to work together for the two primary stone holding fingers.

there's no such thing as a "proper" way to pick up and hold a go stone.

there is tradition.

I've seen many very strong player hold and play their stones in various different ways. The oddest was was one guy who used his thumb and index, holding and placing it sideways. Seemed a bit awkward, but he played every stone that way.

Everytime I pick up something from the ground (piece of litter, clothing), I use the go grip.
But I don't think it is because I am a go player. One doesn't have to bend that deep.

The best way to hold a stone is the way which puts the stone on the best posible point.
The fingers you use are not important, as long as you don't disturb the rest of the board.

I think that to insist or even suggest otherwise is snobbery. No offense.

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- Bantari
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WARNING: This post might contain Opinions!!

Spoken like a man who "pinchers" his potato chips.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

I would like to express my strong disagreement with what you said.

When we play go, a lot of people care about aspects that might seem irrelevant at first - board quality, stone quality, color choice, seating - and indeed they won't make you play better go. However they can improve your aesthetic pleasure, comfort and general enjoyment of the game. Holding a stone in the traditional way is more comfortable and makes this satisfying sound when it hits the board that is a part of the physical and aesthetic pleasure in playing.

Even if you only want to become stronger and absolutely do not care about enjoying yourself, why not taking a few minutes to give a try to different grips? If playing becomes more comfortable and enjoyable, then you will play more - or maybe you are a zen master playing on the floor with paper stones, because none of that really matters?

I don't see where the snobbery argument comes from. Who is trying to dictate a behaviour to others here? Just play as you find more enjoyable.

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La victoire est un hasard, la défaite une nécessité.

Ok, I see your point. But let me defend my position here a little more. Maybe you'll see where I am coming from with that.

This is a personal opinion, and I certainly do not fault anybody for holding their stones any which way they like. If it is more fun for you, or more aesthetically pleasing, to hold your stones in a certain way, go for it, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

What I have a problem with is calling one way "proper" and the other, by default, "not proper." This implies a suggestion about quality, and often a judgement value call - which I strongly disagree with. And, human nature being what it is, this judgement often extends from judging the way a stone is held towards judging the other player in general.

Which brings me to the rest of my argument...


Snobbery comes out when people look down upon players who choose not to hold the stone in the "proper" way. I have seen it many times, and even HnG made such point if memory serves. I have seen players being taunted for holding stones in a "wrong" way, or not "plonking" them on the board just like that... I found such behavior disgusting.

I think it has its roots in the otherwise innocent idea that there is a "proper" way to hold a stone, and that the "proper" way is somehow more fun or more sophisticated than any other way. And if you do it another way, even if it is the way that suits you, it is somehow "not proper" and "not right."

Reminds me of all the times I have heard of people being admonished to hold their pinky up high when they hold a cup of tea - because it is "the proper way." Yuck.

I just don't like such narrow ideas and attitudes.

But again - I am not trying to tell you how to enjoy your Go (or your tea) - just that I disagree with calling one way "proper" and the other "not proper." Otherwise, do what gives you more pleasure, and let others do their stuff, without judging too much.

_________________
- Bantari
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WARNING: This post might contain Opinions!!