On going first

Would you rather go first or second? In many games, there is a definite advantage one way or the other. How can we redress these imbalances, if we seek to make truly fair and balanced games?

This week’s essay is on the first-player advantage in many games and the question of how one might seek to address it. Does the swap rule commonly used in Hex, for example, achieve a fair game, balanced with respect to the first and second player? How is the swap rule like cutting cake? Is there an optimal komi value to compensate the second player for the first-player advantage in Go? Learn why definitely none of the commonly used values 5½, 6½, or 7½ is optimal. Can we make a fair game by changing the turn order, by taking turns taking turns?