Where have all the strong players gone?

[RayTomes]

I joined KGS 4 years ago. I prefer the KGS interface to other go servers.

As much as anything, I have enjoyed watching high dan players matches. There are always many spectators and lots of kibitz.

Over recent months, the number of high dan games has steadily declined. Where have they all gone? Something needs to be done or KGS will head towards oblivion. That would be very sad to see.

[shapenaji]

Well, are you sure it's not just a summer phenomena? Folks on vacation, playing go is all about having something to procrastinate right?

[Dusk Eagle]

I joined KGS 4 years ago. I prefer the KGS interface to other go servers.

As much as anything, I have enjoyed watching high dan players matches. There are always many spectators and lots of kibitz.

Over recent months, the number of high dan games has steadily declined. Where have they all gone? Something needs to be done or KGS will head towards oblivion. That would be very sad to see.

Perhaps when you joined KGS 4 years ago, you were a mid-SDK or weaker. Now, at 1d, the 6ds are starting to seem a bit more fallible.

[Solomon]

They're on the Asian servers.

[gowan]

I joined KGS 4 years ago. I prefer the KGS interface to other go servers.

As much as anything, I have enjoyed watching high dan players matches. There are always many spectators and lots of kibitz.

Over recent months, the number of high dan games has steadily declined. Where have they all gone? Something needs to be done or KGS will head towards oblivion. That would be very sad to see.

If they are departing for other servers it would be a self-reinforcing phenomenon since people don't want to play (high) handicap games all the time.

[shyin]

They're on the Asian servers.

This. There seem to be many more higher dan players on IGS than KGS, and everyone always says asian players seem to be better than western players of the same rank.

[oren]

This. There seem to be many more higher dan players on IGS than KGS, and everyone always says asian players seem to be better than western players of the same rank.

Most higher dan are on Tygem and wbaduk. Both of these servers have consistently more players than IGS or KGS.

[RayTomes]

Shapenaji, yes, I am sure it is not seasonal as I have been there 4 years.

Dusk Eagle, no, I was 1d when I joined KGS. I am 64, and not likely to improve at go now. I was 5d before giving it up for 17 years.

Araban, gowan, shyin and oren, I think that you are right. They are on the other servers. But the sad thing is that none of the other servers have such a nice interface as KGS, and they do not have the same discussion of games and friendly chat room like EGR.

As Gowan says, it easily becomes a self reinforcing trend. It wouldn't matter if the other servers had all the good points of KGS.

[stalkor]

i guess IGS has become more popular since there are big tournaments being held there since they stopped sponsoring the european tour.

That said, shouldnt KGS have their own big tournaments organized by KGS themself? If IGS didnt have those big tournaments it would still be a slowly dying server.

These tournaments would likely get strong players on KGS as they want to play in the tournament and will maybe fall in love with KGS.

[Mivo]

Helel, for me, watching high dan amateur games on other servers doesn't offer the same social experience. On Tygem and Wbaduk, where you can watch high dan games at pretty much any time, the kibitzers don't really chat. It's a fairly lonely affair. Sure, you could "socialize" on KGS at the same time, but the conversation wouldn't be related to the game you're watching in the other window.

[shyin]

This. There seem to be many more higher dan players on IGS than KGS, and everyone always says asian players seem to be better than western players of the same rank.

Most higher dan are on Tygem and wbaduk. Both of these servers have consistently more players than IGS or KGS.

Well, I've never used those. I usually play on KGS but I used IGS to watch the Meijin games, and there seemed to be more strong players there than on KGS.