When I play go online with a time setting, I have no concern about being "polite" with the time I take. If I want to think for 10 minutes on a move, I do so - we have a clock that will run out if you use too much time, and I can use time as I please. Similarly, when I play with a clock in a tournament, it's the same feeling - I can use as much time I want on any move - just make sure to finish the game before the clock time expires.

What gets me is casual go club games, where there is no clock. I play against an opponent, and get into a tricky situation. If we had a clock and were playing online, or in a tournament maybe, I'd take my time and think about the position thoroughly.

But in a casual club game without a clock, I can't help but feel sorry to my opponent for the time I am taking. It's somewhat embarrassing to spend several minutes on a move when we don't have a clock, because I feel like I'm holding up the game. As a result, I often play before fully thinking about a particular position in these casual club-type games.

Does anyone else feel this way? Any ideas to remedy this?

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be immersed

As long as both players either agree before hand, or are used to each other's thinking times and styles,
it is no problem.

From my experience, this is only a problem if there are uneven expectations on either party.

For example, I am very slow. So I enjoy to play others who are similar.
Luckily for me, there are a few members who also enjoy taking their time.
We would play ~3 hour games (much like the time control at the US Open,
except without any clocks).

It's annoying when some people are being unreasonable (or selfish): they get impatient
when their opponent takes the time, and they think they themselves are playing fast,
when in fact they are just being lazy/careless/over-confident and for some difficult situation,
they take their own sweet time just like everybody else. ( Clip about such blind spots )

Mutual respect and understanding can go a long way.

So when you play someone for the first time at a club, do you usually ask, "I like to think for awhile during certain moves. Is this OK?" Or is this implicitly assumed?

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be immersed

Usually, for strangers, we just play and find out very quickly both
our relative levels and our thinking times and styles.

For a new person, I would usually ask what is their approx. level,
and I also give my info. So we know relatively where we stand before we start the first game.

Usually, for raw beginners, they either play too fast (which is OK) or too slowly.
We find out very quickly after the first game. Then, we can adjust after that.

For people around our levels or better, actually I've never met anyone who plays too slowly.
(Usually I'm the slowest. )

For the regular members, we've all known one another for many years (some, 10 years;
others, 20~30 years). We all know our thinking times.

Common sense and the golden rule -- usually solve many problems.

( But there are always the occasional annoying/unreasonable people. That's life. What can you do. )

The great thing about a casual club game is that it is a casual game at your local club.

What I mean is this:

1. The game is casual. Casual means "relaxed and unconcerned" so the game is supposed to be relaxing. If you or your opponent is worried about time then you should say so before the game starts.
2. The game is at your local club. This means that you should know the people you are playing with. Sure, the occasional new member will come by, but usually you know the person and they know you.

I attend 2 go clubs. The West Michigan Go Club and my university's club. When I play at either I know how fast/slow my opponents are at the various stages of the game. For example: One player is very fast in the opening and early game, but very slow at the end game. It tests my patience by the time we get toward the end because he is trying to read out every possible invasion for both sides so that I don't invade and kill him and so he can see if he can invade me. Another player is quite slow compared to me in the early and mid game but by the end game plays at about my pace. There is a player who is just faster than me at all stages and another who is just slower than me at all stages. I play with any of them because I'm not concerned about time. Our games are not tournament ones and not timed, they are just casual club games.

When new players come by they usually are less experienced than I am so I tend to be patient with them. If they play fast I'll also play fast because I don't have to think as much. If they play slow I'll try not to intimidate them by playing too quickly.

I can let you know if I ever have a situation where a stronger player shows up randomly and wants to play.

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"You have to walk before you can run. Black 1 was a walking move.
I blushed inwardly to recall the ignorant thoughts that had gone through
my mind before, when I had not realized the true worth of Black 1."
-Kageyama Toshiro on proper moves

We usually play with clocks at the club too - something like 30+5x30 or 20+12s Fischer quite usual.

However, sometimes neither player can be bothered with setting up the clock or they are all in use so we play without, and sometimes when one player is about to run out of time, the other just turns the clock away and play continues (usually both think at this point that the situation is interesting...)

So, as a remedy: purchase a clock, bring it to the casual club games, but use it casually there?

This is what we did at the chess club, just use a clock always and ignore it if both players feel like its ok, best solution imo
(I haven't played go at a club yet, but I assume this would work regardless of game ^^)

Try saying something like, "what a deep position. I'd like to take 10 minutes or so to read, if that's ok with you?" Now they know they've got time to get up and buy a snack, or watch another game, if they want. I think part of the reason people would get annoyed is the uncertainty. It also gives them an opening if they were planning on leaving soon.

Or pull out your phone and snap a picture of the board. Now you can go back and read this position for hours if you want. Over time you'll accumulate a whole series of particularly interesting positions to pore over. Then give it a cursory read and make your move. It's a casual game, so you shouldn't be too worried about making the wrong move.

I've never really had a problem with it. It has been years since I played at a club but when I did we almost always reviewed games afterwards so got into a routine of a fairly brisk pace during play but then often spend more time during the review than the game. The review was the learning process and the game was the means of setting it up. So there was no need to do a lot of study during the game.

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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 you should do what comes naturally to you, within reason. For a club, a reasonable upper bound is that the game should be finished before the club closes.

If someone gives you a hard time for playing too slowly, you have a choice. Before you choose, think about how important it is to you to play this person again. Then decide whether you want to accommodate their rhythm or if you'd rather wait for a game with someone who is okay with your pace.

I think different clubs have a different mood, usually set by the strongest players. At the ones near me, the strongest players aren't playing blitz. It's not unusual to see them thinking 10 minutes on a move in the opening considering who knows what. Since you're a dan player, I don't think anyone would bat at eye should you play, say 50% faster than the stronger players. From Uberdude's blog, I gather that players at BIBA often like faster games. Maybe to fit in there you'd have to pick up some skills to play faster.

But frankly, I think you answered your own question right here:



Why do that? Most opponents want something close to your best game.

I think that positions fall into two categories: positions where experience and knowledge dominate and more thinking isn't going to find you a better move if you don't know it, and positions where careful reading (or careful counting) is critical and you have some confidence that more time will result in a better move. For the former, maybe play more quickly if there is a culture for faster play, but for the latter, do what you need to do. Don't leave a critical position half-read if you have the skill to read it through with a little extra time. Your total thinking time for the game will still decrease because there's a lot of slack in the judgment-only type of move.

What a annoying word "Cazwool" . Like casual dress, which means if you don't fit into one of the four rigid sizes S, M, L, XL of assembly line manufactured "designer" casual clothing you are going to be a misfit .

The problem I have with "casual" games at clubs, is that four months later when you go to play that person again, they will be like I beat you last time, so you need to take X number of handicaps. So, really the casual games turn out to be pretty darn cutthroat, except they may not want to play you again, because you gloat or take to much time or something

Are you holding up the game? Lin Haifeng (Rin Kaiho) recommends taking up to 10 min. on a tricky position in a game that lasts about one hour. That's about one third of your total time! In that case you are not really holding up the game, you are managing your time. Nothing wrong with that. OC, it would be polite to say something to your opponent, like, "Good move. Let me think about this."

Now, there are people who don't think until it is too late, and then they desperately search for a way to ward off disaster. But what you are talking about is different. The desperate player may not even be thinking that much, but dithering, hoping for inspiration and delaying the time of a loss. One sign of desperation is taking a long time to make a move and then, when the opponent replies, going into the tank again. You are talking about reading a situation out as best you can and then playing on with confidence (or at least with equanimity).

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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.