I’m having problems with handicap games. In particular, when I’m giving nine stones, I take one look at the board and feel like resigning without playing a move. The board looks like a sea of black stones. I do my best to turn it into a world of brightness, lit up by white stones that have taken advantage of mistakes by Black, but the result is usually a win for the forces of darkness, and I end up resigning. Here’s my question. What principles should the player with white bear in mind when giving nine stones? Consultation One: Mr. Seshita Hello, Mr. Seshita. (^_^) My feelings are exactly the same as yours. I found myself nodding in agreement as I read your letter. A six-stone game, in which you face two sanrensei positions (three star-points stones in a row) at the outset, is bad enough; nine stones are just too much. If the opponent plays properly in a nine-stone game, then White can’t make a game of it. In this case, I accept that I am bound to lose. My advice is to try to use the whole board as much as possible. Try to develop rapidly from large point to large point, even though this will leave you with thin positions. In a nine-stone game, it’s difficult to win if Black encloses a large territory. Complications will arise if White can establish positions balanced all over the board, even if they are thin. Even in his own sphere of influence, a player taking nine stones won’t find it so easy to attack and capture white positions. Even so, nine stones is an overwhelming handicap, so White can’t win without playing unreasonably. In my case, I don’t worry about the result very much. I focus on finding the best move in each position. I hope my advice is of some you to you. I wish you the best of luck in your games. Thank you for your letter.