Josen
The standard one-stone handicap game in which Black moves first without komi.
Also known as
Josen is a one-stone handicap game in which the weaker player plays Black and receives the first move without komi. Black receives one handicap stone, normally placed on a designated handicap point before play begins, and then plays first. White does not receive komi.
The purpose of josen is to equalize a game between players whose strengths differ by approximately one rank. Unlike larger-stone handicap games, josen uses a single pre-placed stone. Unlike an even game, Black begins with a stone advantage and normally receives no komi. The exact placement and scoring conventions may vary by ruleset, but the defining feature is the fixed one-stone handicap. “One-stone handicap” is also used as an alias.
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