When i started to get in to Go again in spring i wasn't really sure, if i'd stay with it (and even if so, i i would find physical opponents to play real life games with) so i didn't want to invest very much into equipment. I decided i'll just buy some glas stones and paint some lines onto a wooden board. I went for 20,5mm x 7 stones, because they where cheaper and i thought i could just adjust the distance between the lines accordingly.

Now, that it seems like i'll stay with this game for a long long while, introduced a friend to it (who now plays regularly) and besides came to value the board and stones to study sequences, i'm looking for something more appealing to the eye. I really like the stones, but my board looks a little to DIY (besides it bent from humidity and heat). My only concern is, that i like the way the 20,5mm stones array on my self-made 21mmx22mm grid and that, if i buy a regular board now, the small gaps in between might be irritating (or less aesthetically appealing).

Does anyone here have any experience with using smaller stones on a regular board (and might even provide a picture )?

Hello and glad you have decided to resume playing.

https://senseis.xmp.net/?GoStones has good general info on stone size.
https://senseis.xmp.net/?EquipmentDimensions has more detail on size of board and grid/line spacing.

Go is a game that hopefully will bring you many years of joy. You (in my opinion) should therefore invest in a set that the stones/board are meant to be used together. It doesn't have to be super fancy.

Also, if you ever start playing in tournaments, you will have to play on the boards that are at the event.

Hi mhlepore,

thanks for your reply. I actually know the SL pages you referred to, as i used them to build my makeshift board. The thing is that i want to keep the stones i already bought (because i like them as they are and rather then buying a new set, at the moment i would rather spend that money on some good go books ).
On the one hand i think, if 20,5mm stones are produced they must be playable on a regular board. On the other hand i imagine it being a little hard on the eyes maybe. If you place stone against stone for example, then over the course of 19 lines the last stone is nearly shifted one whole line from where it was supposed to be.

I just wanted to know, if someone on here ever used smaller stones on a regular board and can verify/falsify my concern of a less tidy overall look of the board.

You could print a go board to see if you like the size.

http://www.gungfu.de/go/gobans/konstruk ... lates.html

Ah nice! Thank you very much!

I printed a 9x9 grid and tested it – completely dislike it. The lines which peep out between the stones almost look like there are liberties, when there aren't

Seems like i have to consider making a new DIY board but with proper wood and a little more effort this time

I am not sure if you remember where you got the stones. You said they are glass stones, but in my experience glass stones from Japan are more expensive, and also more traditionally sized. Korean glass stones seem come in different sizes. For example, Yutopian's sets (https://www.yutopian.com/yutop/cat?category=Sg) show the cheapest stones are the 6.5mm from Korea and have a diameter similar to yours, whereas its larger Korean stones come more traditionally sized.

The cheaper glass stones, which are smaller in size, tend to be sold as part of cheaper sets with boards that have slightly smaller grids. They sell such sets in Korean supermarkets in my area. Maybe buy the particle board from Korea for sale on Yutopian (https://www.yutopian.com/yutop/cat?prod ... category=T for one inch, https://www.yutopian.com/yutop/cat?prod ... category=T for a 1/2 inch). My guess it they will fit your stones, and they are not expensive.

I bought the stones from Hebsacker Verlag, which is a german publishing company specialized in Go Books and Equipment. I checked there website an you are right mhlepore, they are produced in Korea.

If i had a Korean supermarket around the corner i would maybe consider buying such a board for 18$, but including the shipping i think i could buy some fitting piece of nice wood for the same price (shin kaya / spruce is a very common wood for building purposes around here) and paint some lines on it. I'll call some local carpenters workshops these days..