Editing Go game record (section)

==Use==
{{More citations needed section|talk=y|date=September 2020}}
The playing-through on a [[Go equipment#Board|Go board]] of a game record given as a kifu on a single diagram is still a little taxing for a beginner player, because each move has to be searched for visually. An [[go ranks and ratings|amateur ''dan'']] player would expect to play through a game of normal length in around 20 minutes. A player of professional level would take ten minutes, and could easily sight-read a professional game from the kifu. Stronger players can locate plays more easily because they often know where the next move is likely to be found.

In most games, a small number of plays are at intersections that were previously occupied (this happens, for example, during a [[Rules of Go|ko]] fight). Annotations by the side of the kifu give this information, usually in the form '57 at 51' or something comparable, indicating that move 57 occurred at the location formerly held by move 51. Game records are usually completed by information on the players' ranks, the date and competition data: location, winning player, and margin of victory.

Many of the most important games are now available in machine-readable form, using one of a small number of digital file formats. This has great advantages in terms of ease of playing through games and lends itself well to [[database]] storage and archival. The common opinion is that playing games through on a board (rather than computer monitor) from a printed record is a qualitatively different–and preferred–experience. Much importance is given to the sensual aspects of the game: the heft of the game board, the players' viewing angle of the board, the feel of the stones, the sound of the stones when placed.