The board starts empty; there is no initial arrangement of stones in an even game; Black moves first in an even game (AGA Rule 2); Because Black plays first, White receives komi — compensation added to White's score
Why people argue about this
People often assume komi is only for handicap games where Black has a significant advantage, forgetting that even in standard Go (AGA), it's added to White simply because Black goes first, leading to an imbalance. They overlook how this rule aims to level the playing field by giving White some extra compensation due to Black’s strategic advantage from starting.
