I have recently met up with a friend of mine who plays Go. Before we met up I had never played anyone around my strength over the board before, and I really enjoyed it(so much that I would rather play over the board instead of online for the rest of my life). We played about 6-8 games, and the only time I won was when we stoped playing even and I took a 3 stone handicap which was a complete slaughter. At the end of the Go meet up he gave me some really good books, and I learned alot from playing him.

So, as the title states there is a question. Do you prefer to play over the board or on the internet?

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“I’m here to play go and chew bubble gum, and I’m all out of gum”- misquoted duke nukem

Definitely over the board. Although I guess I'm lucky in that there is a healthy club near me which meets twice a week, and includes a full range of ability from complete beginners to a few dan players. Some players can take 9 stones off me and win comfortably, while others I can beat while giving 9 stones - I find this fairly amazing and satisfying, in a weird way

Online play has its advantages, most notably that you can play whenever you want, and against a practically infinite number of different opponents - but I always find it a bit soulless compared to playing over the board. But then were it not for KGS I might never have even started playing at all. So both definitely have their place. (And I'm aware that, with Go being very much a minority activity in the west, many players don't have the option of regular over-the-board games against a variety of opponents.)

Over the board by a longshot. This said, I've never lived anywhere with a really good club, so online is how I play most of my games. I live in the country now, and the nearest club is a few hours' drive.

One thing I like to do is play online games on my board. I play long games - 45-60 min each player - and place the stones on my board, then click on my computer. I think looking at the board, not the screen. I don't easily find players willing to play like this on KGS, but I know a couple of people who like to do it.

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If it's just playing I prefer going to a club, not only because the board is made of wood, but also because of the chat, the food/beverages and the strangers' interested looks.

However, I don't expect to learn from these games. There is too much distraction at the club. If I want to study I prefer online play, where I can easily replay the game and try variations or compare positions.
(In case you have a teacher at your club it's a different matter of course, but I compared both locations assuming the players are of equal strengh.)

Over the board.

For some of us ancient players, "over the board" was the only option for many years, and I certainly still enjoy it much more than online games.

Probably the real board: I'm much calmer at a real board facing a real opponent.

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So you've got an eye?
That don't impress me much

Well, for a change, I will say online. Clubs usually charge and I'm a skinflint, and it usually takes an hour or so to get to a club. At home, I can smoke, belch, fart, get falling down drunk, insult my opponent and kick the cat if I lose, and only I will witness it. Such freedom, but I never abuse it online; however abusive or rude my opponent, I always thank her/him/it for the game, and then crawl my way upstairs to sleep it off.

Best wishes.

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No aji, keshi, kifu or kikashi has been harmed in the compiling of this post.
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Definitely online. I just can't focus as well on an actual board ... the stones are all of place. Also, I cannot take over the board games seriously; I usually play them just to have fun with friends.

hmm, i would say i prefer over the board, but at the beginning i played only online and for quite long time i was better when playing online (if i am not still). it is sometimes difficult for me to concentrate enough in (casual) real-life games, so i am sometimes happier to challenge strangers on the internet.

and one question from me: when playing online, do you have the board switched to fullscreen or just in a smaller window?

this is one thing i definitely like about online playing, that you see the board directly from above and it can be small enough, so you can see over it in one glance. i even developed theory that boards and stones are too big for us, because they are designed to be used in asian (japanese) way - board on the floor and players sitting on the floor -> this way you are higher above the board and you should see it in a better angle than with european style - board at the table and players at chairs -> then you see it from too small height, board appears too big and in a too big angle -> it is more difficult to get a good global view on the whole game situation

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Spilling gasoline feels good.

I might be wrong, but probably not.

I think it depends on my mood. On a lazy evening, I would prefer playing online in my pjamas But in general it is probably over the board playing, which is more fun.

But I prefer casual games over tournament games because I the usual stress of a tournament game reduces the fun. Of course it is not to say that I don't enjoy tournaments but probably I am too lazy for more serious games



If my wife is around, I prefer small window for reducing the probability of "grrr again playing go, did you change the light bulb, did you fill the xy application form, blablabla" kind of interruption

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If you say no, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week.

I definitely prefer over-the-board play: If I'm going to play online I often end up so apprehensive about the game before I start that I end up not playing at all. I also get much more frustrated if my opponent refuses to resign a game they are down by 40 points online than in real life. There's also just something satisfying to me about placing real stones on a real board.

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Each of us woke up one moment and here we were in the darkness.
We're nameless things with no memory; no knowledge of what went before,
No understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be.

I prefer playing online. Although a real board and real stones are indeed aesthetically more pleasing, I find it harder to see what's going on. Also, I've gotten used to and like the fact that no one observes me during or especially after a game.

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Patience, grasshopper.

Exactly this. I feel the same way. Unfortunately this means that I usually only play a few games a week, one or two at the club that meets once a week near me and maybe a game or two online if I can push myself to actually play.

Face-to-face is my preference, but almost all of my games are played online. I prefer slower games than most. I use auto-match to find ~30 min + 5x30s games. When I play live, my main opponent and I average around 1 hour per game, which works out about the same. We don't time it.

I always feel like I'm being rushed during club games, or that I'm holding everything up. No one has ever complained, but everyone seems to play faster than me.

Over the board by a long-shot. I play differently online and am much more likely to play fast moves without thinking. There is something about holding stones in my hand that makes me play better.

But I'm extremely lucky to have a club near me which meets twice a week and has several very strong players.

face to face in real life by a huge long shot . Online games are just because i cannot play on a board very often

Oh yes, I didn't play club games for quite some time so I forgot about this. But it bothers me as well. I can't really concentrate when my opponent is apparently getting bored. During online or tournament play I don't care about this, because it is my time that's running down the hourglass and no one can complain.

When I play online I use full screen mode. It makes me feel like sitting in front of a real board but looking at it from a better angle.

Online, 100%. Even small things seem incredibly rude in real games - chatting about the game with other people during the game, comments about your Go set, un-requested advice etc - I can't stand it!

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I am John. John-I-Am.

I play both with about equal frequency, and I enjoy both. I am somewhat calmer playing over the board, even though most of my live games are clocked too.

I tend to get annoyed more easily on the internet, and my anxieties about losing are greater, but it's great to be able to play a same-ranked opponent at any time I am free.

My games against stronger players generally occur over the board.