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There aren't any useful AIs to have games with at that level - the mistakes they make are totally unlike how real 30 kyu players play. That's why it's not worth playing them.

Plus, the folks on KGS are friendly, and there are always plenty of other 30 kyus to play with. No need for it to be tense.

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I have always played bots with a handicap ratheer than artificial weakening, I think it's a good learnng experience. Humans are better opponents, but an AI doesn't care if you abandon or save the game, so it's great for when you might be interrupted or can't give the game your full attention.

Exactly. I played hundreds of 9x9 games against Hactar (which is probably 10-5K, but I thought it was supposed to be closer to 20) when I was starting. The freedom to quickly resign when I realized I'd made a critical mistake, the freedom to start and stop anytime- that gave me the boost to start really playing and got me to the low 20s.

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