The West Michigan Go Club uses this system:

First, players try to determine their starting handicap against each other. They play an even game and then estimate based on the outcome (usually a stone for every 10 points lost by - sometimes an additional game is played at an intermediate handicap to see if that is correct). After that, we play starting at that handicap.

The games are then best of 3 series. So, let's say John and Tim play where Tim has 3 stones. If Tim wins 2 games in a row, they move to 2 stones. If John then wins 2 they move back to 3. If each wins 1 game, then the next game is pretty exciting as it determines how the handicap moves. (This is actually how 2 of our players have been going for a couple months) I like this system because if feels motivating. I had to study hard this past week because I was playing a third match at the club.

As for the question of a 1 stone handicap, that's the weaker player taking black with no komi.

However, whatever system you guys agree to, I'd be interested in joining this League.

_________________
"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

I think this is what we'll adopt a the Rochester Hills Go Club. We were actually hoping to try to arrange a tournament with you guys sometime this fall/winter, like an east-meets-west meetup to be hosted either in Lansing or Detroit.

_________________
Sincerely, Chad R. Sobodash

The system as discussed was no komi matches, every X wins ahead the handicap changes, and you keep track of handicap individually. How fine grained the handicap change is is up to you and the person you are playing. I think there was some consensus on half steps (BW > all B > B2 > all 2) but I may be mistaken.

I'd also be in.

When and where do we start ?

Sorry I haven't replied to this thread for a while; I keep seeing it when I haven't got much time. I'll update the first post with the new members/additional info later today.

This doesn't work. Unless you really deeply understand the space of possible outcomes, and tradeoffs involved between various goals, this apparently precise method is not going to yield sensible results.

You can't even choose a good metric to optimize until you really know the statistics. So better to keep things wholly based on intuition/feel until you get to the kind of system (KGS, AGA, EGF) that demands a good statistically based system, and let that system be developed by the statisticians.

_________________
Occupy Babel!

I've updated the first post. Let me know if I've missed anything.

Yeah, I would like to join.

_________________
"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

Sorry Moyoaji, I've added you now.