Questions tagged [handicap]

Handicap refers to ways to make weaker players more competitive against stronger ones. In Go, for example, it takes the form of extra stones placed by the weaker player. The goal is to make the game even and challenging for both players.

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21 votes
10 answers
4k views

Handicapping an experienced Agricola player.

One of my friends and I often play Agricola, and he's considerably better than me at it - I'm getting better, but he seems to be advancing at a faster rate, and it's getting to the point that although ...
12 votes
6 answers
2k views

What is the formula of rank difference to handicap stones?

When the difference in rank is one (examples: 1 dan vs 1 kyu, or 1 kyu vs 2 kyu), the weaker player takes black and the komi is 0.5 for white (sometimes called "no komi" even though that's ...
1 vote
3 answers
218 views

Are there ways to handicap bridge as there are in chess and go?

The games of chess and go can be "handicapped" by giving the weaker player a material advantage. That is, the weaker chess player gets extra pawns or pieces and the weaker go player extra stones. (...
15 votes
4 answers
2k views

Methods for handicapping chess

My four-and-a-half year old son is learning chess. He's got the moves of the pieces down and understands how to checkmate with two rooks (or rook and queen). I've read some good suggestions in this ...
10 votes
4 answers
838 views

How to handle handicap as white?

I found it very difficult to handle the handicap when my opponent is given 6 or more stones. I don't really like to force something complex when I know it could be severely punished. The right way to ...
4 votes
2 answers
498 views

How to quantify first player advantage?

In playing a two player variant of sheepshead, the group I play with decided that it wasn't that much fun. So I simplified it, and taught it to my niece (5 years old) as a start to learning about ...
1 vote
3 answers
411 views

Online Scrabble Handicaps

I manage a scrabble group online, the ELO is set by Mattel but that is not a handicap just a grading Mattel gives. In my group we run a weekly League , Monthly Lottery type game (who you play is ...
12 votes
5 answers
718 views

How can I handicap Ticket To Ride: USA, without seeming patronizing?

I'm struggling to find a good handicap for Ticket To Ride. When I'm playing with newer, or less strategic players, I'm beating them by 50 points or so. I don't like a simple points handicap, as ...
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Good handicaps for Descent

In certain cases in Descent, a good player (in particular with the Overlord) can destroy the other side. However, I feel that Descent is most fun when it is well balanced right up to the end. What ...
4 votes
1 answer
188 views

Are there good ways to "handicap" Midway?

In the Q&A section of the "rulebook," questions were asked about how to "handicap" the game in favor of either the Japanese or American player. The answers were to increase the "search" ...
2 votes
2 answers
138 views

How can I handicap in Suburbia?

I have Suburbia, and I quite like it. However, some of the people I play with, don't quite have the cutthroat edge to win. It makes not so fun to play if I win every game. What's an effective way to ...
27 votes
17 answers
2k views

Any good way to add a handicap in Dominion?

I play Dominion pretty regularly with one group of friends, but only occasionally with another group. This creates a pretty big experience gap between me and the second group, and I'm afraid they ...
5 votes
5 answers
1k views

What's a good handicap for a less experienced player in an MTG Draft?

My drafting group has a few hardcore players like me who have been playing magic for a while. We've memorized almost all the commons and uncommons in the sets we're drafting (usually Innistrad or 2012)...
-1 votes
1 answer
181 views

Are there any games with handicaps/imbalancing? [closed]

Often one will want to play with less skilled players, who are there to be social. This will make a game like Settlers a bit boring for them, as they're likely to lose and have to play the whole ...
20 votes
2 answers
1k views

Are professional ranks representative for how many stones of handicap players can give each other?

It was mentioned elsewhere that a 9p could not give 7 stones to a 2p. I have no databases available and wondered if this is correct. Bonus: If they aren't representative, why not? And is there a ...
4 votes
2 answers
708 views

Scrabble - What if any "House Rules" work to even the playing field with more and less experienced players?

Related:What is a fair Scrabble handicap Scrabble is a great game for competitive type A types and the learning curve is STEEP at first. Great game. Like most games, house rules vary and are fine as ...
17 votes
5 answers
1k views

"Ticket to Ride: Europe": how to accommodate differences in players' strength?

I play "Ticket to Ride: Europe" with my kids (age 8 and 12) and I win too often. They do not want me to let them win: there's no fun in winning if you know the opponent didn't play to their full ...
5 votes
3 answers
325 views

Traditional 1-stone handicap before komi

In "traditional" handicap, when there is a ranking difference of 1, black plays first and there is no komi (Sensei's Library uses this term). But if you play without komi anyway, this is no handicap. ...
8 votes
2 answers
767 views

How do I properly place handicap stones?

Handicap games are very common in Go. The weaker player, taking black, gets to place (usually) up to 9 stones on the board, depending on the difference in skill. Both free and fixed placement are ...