Life In 19x19

Consider this a brief survey.

Floor board (with legs) versus table-top board (sans legs)!

What is your preference? Why? To you, in what ways are the two types of boards meaningfully different in use?

I am curious what everyone thinks. Feel free to share pictures.

Would you rather play on the floor or at a table?

emeraldemon wrote:Would you rather play on the floor or at a table?

Strangely enough, I enjoy both. I have a really cheap floor board (lacquered rosewood, gasp! One step up from plastic!) with detachable legs that I use in both ways. When the legs are attached, I like that it doesn't take up valuable table space. When the legs are detached, I like that I can lay out a go book next to it on a table (to set up problems or replay a game).

I own and use table-top boards. I do not have a floor board. Why? At my age, even using a cushion, I cannot sit on the floor for very long without leg and back pains. But I have had (and preferred) a table-top board (high quality Hyuga kaya) for more than 40 years, since I was an age when sitting on the floor was no problem. Other reasons I prefer a table-top board have to do with ease of storing and moving it from place to place, and ease of playing games out of a book. Historically floor boards seem to be a Japanese thing, Koreans and Chinese mostly use table-top boards I think, so there is no implication that floor boards are more "authentic" go equipment than table-top boards. Even in Japan table-top boards are used in most go salons and in amateur and some pro tournament settings as well.

The one blessing in having bad knees is that it saves me from the temptation of spending money I can't afford on an expensive floor goban! Table for me.

Inkwolf wrote:The one blessing in having bad knees is that it saves me from the temptation of spending money I can't afford on an expensive floor goban! Table for me.

I share the knee problem but lack your common sense. So I have the nice (but not too expensive) floor board gathering dust in the corner while the table boards rule.

Inkwolf wrote:The one blessing in having bad knees is that it saves me from the temptation of spending money I can't afford on an expensive floor goban! Table for me.

Floor boards can be uncomfortable to use for many people. I think there was one title challenger match in which Cho Hunhyun played lying down against his pupil Lee Changho (who was on his knees) while complaining of pain.

ez4u wrote:

Inkwolf wrote:The one blessing in having bad knees is that it saves me from the temptation of spending money I can't afford on an expensive floor goban! Table for me.

I share the knee problem but lack your common sense. So I have the nice (but not too expensive) floor board gathering dust in the corner while the table boards rule.

That's the sinister thing about common sense: It's not so common.

I'm a fan of floor boards. There a touch of elegance about them that I find attractive.

I have floor goban and table goban, but I mostly play on KGS cgoban

tchan001 wrote:I have floor goban and table goban, but I mostly play on KGS cgoban

Nice.

I have a table board that is currently gathering dust in my room, and I'm a little to frugal (cheap) to buy a floor board.

I have a friend with a floor board, so when I play him we always play at his place. I like the aesthetics of a floor board, but I've always had a tendency more towards the Japanese tradition over the Chinese and Korean (studied a bit of Japanese in college, various other reasons, etc...).

And I have to admit that my legs do start hurting after a while (sometimes I don't notice until the game is over, though! Here's to intensity in games!).

A floor goban seems to me more aesthetic and speaks to the beauty of the game, while a table board seems more practical. Unless you live in the Orient, most people would prefer playing tabletop than on the floor (discomfort, tradition, etc.)

Get a table board first. Tables are everywhere. Appropriate space for a floor board, not to mention opponents willing to sit like that, are not.

jdl wrote:Get a table board first. Tables are everywhere. Appropriate space for a floor board, not to mention opponents willing to sit like that, are not.

Many years ago, when I was in Japan, I needed a go set and was in a go board shop. I asked the proprietor what I should do now if I thought I might buy a good floor board in the future, and he suggested buying a katsura table board, it was relatively cheap (around $50 at the time) and if I did eventually buy the floor board the table board would still be useful because of its portability. So I bought a katsura table board. I never did buy a floor board, for reasons that have already been posted, but I did buy a fine kaya table board. It was an upgrade in equipment and also allowed me to have two games going if I was hosting some go friends.

Something like this would be cool: A table board + small table. Combine them and it becomes a floor board. Best of both worlds?

Sorry for the large image size.