For quite some time, I had avoided handicap games like the plague. It seemed to me that whether white or black, the grass always seemed greener on the other side of the fence.

Lately though, I've discarded this attitude, and set my automatch preferences to include up to 6 stones difference, (7 stones or more is obviously way too hard) and I must say that I am really enjoying the challenges and benefits of both types of games. First of all, I don't expect handicap games to be decided quickly, and this encourages slower and more careful play. Equally important is that whether against stronger or weaker players, the existence of weaknesses becomes more apparent, as does the power that arises from strong positions. Somehow, it's as if there is a clarity to the games that is not so evident in even games, and it's rare that I don't try my best.

If you've been avoiding handicap games, I suggest you give them another try.

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Patience, grasshopper.

I had exactly the same experience a few months ago...
Maybe it's just something that starts to happens to people around our rank

Have fun!
Otenki

I'm going to echo that i've felt nearly the same thing. I started enjoying playing my handicap games as white. My opponents usually allow me to get very thick and it's a lot of fun.

Playing as black, on the other hand, is still not that enjoyable for me. I understand that i should be using the handicap stones to attack but i always make some mistake that causes all of white's stones to become strong and two of my groups to become weak.

I felt the same way, so I've decided to give this a try as well. I played one game earlier like this, which turned out pretty fun because of a huge ko that came up

I also like handicap games in both directions (I am usually at +/- 6 stones on automatch on KGS).

It's a good exercise to give a handicap and try to beat your opponent without making overplays, just by punishing the mistakes you recognize.

Also, big handicaps are the only way I ever get to play dans on KGS. It's always interesting to see how these games go. Usually, I am way ahead and very happy with my position after the opening, but then my opponent starts picking away at my position and after 50 to 100 moves somehow I am suddenly behind.

I seem to have the opposite problem. I love playing handicap games as black and will often gravitate toward a handicap game instead of an even game. On the other hand, a handicap game as white really seems to push me out of my comfort zone.

I do have a problem with handicap games.
Since I prefer free games over ranked ones, I usually play at the free games room at IGS.
Over there, I'm usually the lowest kyu (16k), the second lowest is around 10k, and only people 6k up show up over there.
That said, my games are mostly 9h.
I'm proud to say I won a match against a 2k once.
But the aftermath is that my equal games suck.
I'm stuck at 16k because I loose against 17ks (although I can win from a 6k with 9h).
Playing against handicap is excellent for your skills. Playing with handicap gets you used to training wheels and although you may not need them anymore, you just can't take them cause you fall.
That said, I also have a weird theory that playing with black makes you feel a loser and therefore have a psychological impact too. There is an experience I want to try, which consists of switching colors, i.e. lower kyu would play white with handicap.

I'm of the opinion that giving handicap is not particularly useful as a learning tool until one is fairly well advanced in the kyu ranks(SDK certainly, maybe mid SDK or stronger), because one doesn't know enough techniques to play against it effectively. It also bears saying that after 3 stones or so, the nature of a handicap game changes significantly, to the point that the traditional description of 'one rank - one stone' really breaks down when high handicap games are used for rating purposes.

Receiving handicap, on the other hand, I think should be useful at almost any stage, as seeing how a stronger opponent takes advantage of black's weaknesses without white dominating the game immediately, as well as learning how to attack, is vital to improving.

The go players I know in real life all ended up being at least 3 stones stronger or weaker than me, so I've played a lot of handicap games. I think it's a great learning tool in either direction, at any level. Just like tsumego repeatedly expose you to far more tesuji or L&D situations than you'd see in a game, handicap games expose you to certain strategic situations with much greater frequency than occur in even games.

When I first started giving handicaps, I had a tendency to outplay my opponent on a local scale, but lose because I never got to a corner or side in time and they ended up with 5-6th line territory on a large scale. That really drove home taking a full board view and necessitated that I get comfortable with the idea that getting chased out of an area isn't necessarily bad.

As I've gotten better, my handicap opponents have gotten better (or gotten more stones), and that's forced me to improve my invasion techniques. If you've got a good feel for the opening, you can move up the ranks without having to do any more than reduce in even games, but having both in your repertoire is much better.

Taking a handicap, I try to improve various strategies. Can I just simplify my way to a win in this game? Play very territorially? What about attacking my opponent everywhere? What if I concede lots of territory, can I use all the influence I gain successfully? In an even game I've got less control over how things play out, but I might get ahead early and want to simplify, or face a territorial player where my best options are influence-oriented.

I find 5 stones to be a particularly interesting handicap to play against. The corners are taken, the tengen stone fights any influence you form, and yet the difference between a 10kyu and a 5kyu isn't so large in the scheme of things that you can rely on your opponent losing the game for you.

I was taught go without handicaps or a small board. My teacher preferred to teach me fuseki from the start and I didn't play (or even know about!) a handicap game until I was 15 kyu and even after that, it was only recently that I've played handicap games somewhat regularly. I think that it was for the better because I notice that some of the weaker players that I play against nowadays lack an understanding of opening strategies when we go from our usual handicapped games (which they insist on taking) to even games (or maybe with reverse komi, which I'll give if it makes them feel better). I prefer to not give handicaps to beginners; they learn more without them. Having the handicaps at the mandatory points gives a lot of influence right from the start, so there's no terrible disadvantage of focusing on early territory, which many beginners tend to do. Being too entrenched into that style of playing may make it hard to see the value of playing for influence and hinder improvement.

That's not to say that handicaps are always terrible though. I agree with the praise that was said about handicap games, although in my opinion, they apply mostly to games of five or less stones, because any more and I feel that the strategy changes too much. I'm sure that stronger players would be bored if they had really easy games against weaker players. I accept them if I think that the rank difference wouldn't give the opponent a challenge in an even game to be courteous to him. (I guess my teacher was okay with beating me by huge margins every game ) I've also been forced to experiment a bit with invasions from playing as white against opponents who were sort of close in strength.

I suppose my favourite (as black or white) would be three handicaps. It leaves enough open space plus that empty corner and allows for personal styles or experimentation.

I suggest challenging yourself to a few even games with stronger players Put up a good fight and don't worry about losing!

tl;dr: I don't like giving or taking handicaps. Other people do though, and I since they do have their good points and I don't feel particularly strongly about it and since they only make up a small proportion of my games, okay.

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