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It's hard to make a comparison like that because Go and Chess operate on fundamentally different models

It is very easy. The nature of the game is completely irrelevant. The question is what expectation of winning rate a 4 stone advantage gives to a Go player. For middle ranks, one stone is about 100 ELO-equivalent, or 64% winning rate. (I think it's closer at top dan ranks, would have to look up the statistics). 4 Stones is about 92% chance of winning between equal players.

The equivalent in chess is slightly more than 4 pawns advantage, or about a minor piece.




I've read four different versions of the comparison you're describing as "very easy" (four pieces, four pawns, two bishops, a minor piece), so you'll forgive me if I don't find your statement very convincing given the lack of consensus?


You'll notice they didn't support their arguments - they were just guessing.


My limited understanding of go is that the stone placement confers position and tempo, too, which would be undercounted looking at it purely from points.


Points (which are a game specific metric) have absolutely no relation to anything I posted. I didn't even mention them at all! It looks purely at game outcomes given the initial starting conditions.


Yes, you've got the right answer. Forget material and point comparisons which don't really port between the games. The winning percentage conferred by the handicap is what matters.

Four stones in Go sounds like a lot less than four pawns in chess, but if that's what the math says by each resulting in the same winning percentage, then the equivalency is true.


I'm around 2000 ELO in chess and I'd win every single game vs anyone with 4 pawns or a minor piece handicap. Being a single pawn up is usually decisive in chess. Having said that, this whole discussion is pointless, no one ever gives handicaps in chess, because it completely messes up the initial position. Even lacking one or two pawns at start will make it extremely hard to establish any kind of central presence.

edit: Apparently kasparov gave a ~2200 guy 2 pawn handicap once, ended up winning 2.5-1.5 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1317037/Kasparov-make....


I'm around 2000 ELO in chess and I'd win every single game vs anyone with 4 pawns or a minor piece handicap.

You'd only break even starting from opponents at around 2400 ELO, and would start losing about 2 out of 3 games when facing a top rank grandmaster.

Being a single pawn up is usually decisive in chess.

It only gives you slighly less than a 66% chance of winning (a bit more close to the endgame).

There's no point in arguing from your personal beliefs here. You're vastly and utterly overconfident in your own ability. The definition of the rating system and a few million games of evidence are against you.




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