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Deciding the colors | |
| When the players are of about the same strength, the colors are decided by nigiri. The player with Black makes the first move. The player with white moves second. If there is a difference in strength between the two players, the weaker player takes Black and places a handicap. White then plays the first move. |
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Nigiri | |
| First, one player takes a handful of White stones from the bowl and places them on the board, keeping them hidden. |
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The hand is hiding the number of White stones. The other player had placed one black stone on the board, which means he or she guesses that there is an odd number of White stones. |
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| The other player then guesses whether the number of White stones is odd or even. If he or she thinks the number is odd, he or she places one Black stone on the board and says: "Odd plays first." If the player guesses that there is an even number, he or she says "Even plays first" and places two Black stones on the board. |
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| If the player guesses right, he or she takes Black; if the guess is wrong, White. This procedure is called nigiri (literally, "grasping"). |
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The number of stones turns out to be nine. The other player correctly guessed odd, so he or she takes Black. |
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| Once the colors have been decided, the players bow to each other and begin the game. |
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| If the players keep playing after the first game, they alternate colors. |
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| * | In Japan there's a custom for the senior or older player to take the handful of White stones. |
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