SmartGo One incorporates KataGo, a really strong go engine. For most players, it’s too strong. While you can increase handicap until you manage to win, getting beaten mercilessly is not that enjoyable.

The newest version tries to make playing against the computer more interesting. When you start a new game, you can choose between five different levels, from ‘SmartGo++’ (full strength, playing as well as it can) to ‘SmartGo—’ (making more mistakes and even some blunders). The default is the middle of the road ‘SmartGo’ that will try to make the game more balanced.

The trick with dumbing down computer play is that you don’t want the computer to play non-sensical moves. The approach I’ve taken is that SmartGo will still select one of the moves that KataGo generates, but instead of always picking the best move, allow it to choose moves that lose points or reduce its chance of winning. If the computer is further ahead, it can lose more, bringing the game closer to balance.

This is a first stab at this feature, I will likely refine this in versions to come. Please let me know how this works for you: Do you always keep the computer at maximum strength? Is the lowest level still way too strong? Do you enjoy playing against the computer more?