Go victories should not be counted as simply as someone that have a single stone ahead, we should count every point as a superior form of victory, adding the points of a victory to a total or subtracting the points lost from that total, and maybe we would not have never a winner. For example as in some games that have a minor victory and a major victory, but even if we for example establish 3 stones a minor victory, what is the difference of getting 3 stones ahead and not 2, and 2 and not 1?
The ratings should reflect this method. I’m not good at math so I don’t understand much how the calculation of rating works, but I suppose that opposed to giving a value to victory and other to defeat, this value would increase or decrease depending of the number of stones ahead of the rival.
We should see every war as not a decisive victory or loss, but only part in a more complex conflict; that’s why go is one of the best, if not the best, game; because you don’t see in short term, you should look at long term, the big picture. That’s what I teach in martial arts, don’t see a victory in a fight or competition as a goal, you should see further; don’t care for that belt, or a medal or trophy, don’t see that one stone stronger as your aim, see you three or four stones stronger, see in long term. The sides have established its territories but the war is not over, war is never over.
We should see a match of go as an opportunity of better understanding the game, or should I say better understand life, a victory will bring you, most of the time, nothing. Do you want a concrete example? Try another strategy other them make large moyos, experiment new ideas will give you new perspectives of the game even if they are risky, fight better opponents to learn better strategies even if you win more against a weak opponent (although the game has a very effective way of balancing the odds); ask a good weiqi player and they will say the same thing. Because in training, your main objective is getting better, not victory (believe me, there is a difference).
I don’t even count the results after a game, unless for curiosity, or if it is needed to adjust ratings or you need a winner, I only see that my score is one point less than what I want and one point higher than what I don’t want. Loss the battle but win the war, one of the great lessons of the game and the Sun Tzu’s Art of war 孙子兵法 “All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved”.