What are your thoughts on single convex stones? I'm debating on buying the size 3 single convex yunzi vs. single convex glass stones from http://cgi.ebay.com/THEGAME-GO-FULL-SIZE-SET-GLASS-GO-STONES-RULES-/250614287270?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a59c68ba6

The problem that I am having with yunzi stones in general is that it hurts or feel scratchy to my nails. It is a very uncomfortable feeling. Glass is smooth and cool so I like that.

Also, I used single convex yunzi in one tournament play with the other person and their stones are so nice. I don't know if the biconvex yunzi that I have now is different from single convex yunzi in term of feeling scratchy.

So far YMI don't have the white single convex yunzi on sale in size 3, only the jade luster, but that seem distracting from Chiyodad's picture.

I've never used yunzi stones but apparently they're supposed to be washed and oiled?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunzi

You might want to try that first.

What about marble go stones? Are they nice, similar to glass? http://www.amazon.com/Marble-Single-Convex-Go-Stones/dp/B003TY1NUK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1283626874&sr=1-2

I have that set of marble stones. They do not fit my Japanese size board (not even close), but they are just right for my Chinese size board. Being natural stone, they're fairly irregular, which is either a plus or a minus depending on your aesthetic preferences. They're coated in wax to seal them, so some may be stuck together when you get them (easy enough to pry apart), and you may want to buff them up a bit. They're heavy and extremely hard; I don't think they'll chip if dropped on a hard floor or something the way glass does.

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Personally, I like yunzi stones for the feel and matte finish. I have both the single and double convex stones and can't tell any difference in texture. Oiling the stones will "brighten" up the black stones but have no demonstrable effect on the white stones. Yunzi stones are actually a type of glass and not a stone, so oiling them will not help preserve them as some have suggested.

It's really a matter of taste. If you're interested in yunzis, I would suggest checking out http://www.zengoban.com/ for single convex stones. You can't beat their prices, but I think the only available size they have is 4 rather than 3. Also, single convex yunzis tend to crack more often than double convex - they're thinner.

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I got the yunzi stones biconvex too. I don't like it since it feel coarse/hurt my finger tip and nail. I haven't oil them, but I doubt that would change anything. sigh.... I remembered when I was playing the single convex yunzi in the tournament, I didn't feel the coarseness. Weird.

I like glass stones on a budget. I prefer slate and shell when the money is available. I've just never liked yunzi feel.

I like glass too, but I don't see anywhere else for single convex glass stones except for the ebay link i gave in the first post. Are marble have the similar feel like glass (cool and smooth)?

I agree with you on both yunzi (hurts or scratchy feel, very uncomfortable) and glass stones.
I also cannot stand any oily or slimy feeling on the stones, so any oiling is out of the question for me.

Japanese (double convex) White glass stones are smooth and cool,
while Japanese (double convex) Black glass stones have a slightly matte texture, but feel very nice --
in fact, I prefer the feel of the Japanese Black glass stones over their White ones.

However, I have used sets very similar to the one shown in your eBay link --
single convex glass stones with the thin blue (very wrinkled) plastic board --
and I really do not like those glass stones -- their diameter is too small
and their bottom is too rugged and uneven to feel "flat",
so overall they do not feel nice both when I hold them in my hands
and when I try to place one with my fingers.

Have you ever tried single convex clay stones?

Original photo here -- http://www.childgo.com/images/products/ ... 356402.jpg

As of this posting, their list price for the whole set, including the wooden bowls,
is HKD$280 = about US$36, which is very hard to beat -- the only caveat
is maybe they won't ship so the purchase must be in person.

What is your budget? The eBay set is US$25.

My budget is a little above 50$. I never know clay stones!!! From the picture, it looks nice. How does clay stones compare to the look and feel of glass? I don't want yunzi coarseness anymore. Yunzi are nice but use often it hurts.

On the side notes, what is the difference between 10mm japanese glass stones and the 10 mm korean glass stones? Where should I buy it from? Yutopian or Kiseido. I used the 7mm glass stones (I think it's korean) from Samarkand a long time ago, and they feel really nice on my fingers.

I guess I am going biconvex since single convex doesn't have anything offering.

Clay is just like Yunzi but lower quality. It feels the same but doesn't look as nice.

Childgo seems to be the go school kghin goes to.
http://www.childgo.com/images/index/16th.jpg

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Go is such a beautiful game.

I have a different experience: clay stones (shown in photo) both look and feel much better than yunzi.

Japanese 10 mm glass stones are higher quality than the Korean ones --
more uniform thickness and shape. I bought from Kiseido.

At least you folks can buy your stones. When I was your age, we had to make our own. Out of hot lava. With our bare hands.

Can you post a picture of your 10 mm Japanese glass stones?

Clay to the left, SC Yunzi in the middle, and DC Yunzi to the right.



All of these are fairly smooth and I fail to see how they could hurt, but then there are different kinds of both clay and Yunzi...

/Mats

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Mats, the background of stones are nice.

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Yunzi feels dry and harsh initially but after a few games it either picks up the oil from your hands or they wear each other down or something and it starts feeling like slightly textured glass. Just play a few games. Adding oil manually might help, I haven't tried it. I wouldn't use very much.

Yunzi improve with age/use, IMO.

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Here are 9 photos, in 3 posts.
Japanese 10 mm glass stones and Korean (Samarkand) 7~8 mm glass stones.
The original photos are 3072x2304 about 3Mbytes each.
These are reduced to 640x320 at 80% JPEG quality.