2D Play vs. 3D Play

I find that because of my huge amount of time spent playing on chess.com lately and doing chess puzzles in books or studying with Chessmaster that I'm actually quite a bit better at playing on a 2D board versus a real board. Has anyone else experienced the same thing, and is there any good way to fix this?! I think that when playing on 2D I tend to see the whole board and not make as many blunders :p

Actually I find myself consistantly making stronger moves over a real board, there's something about the physical geometry of the board that makes me a better player than visualizing things I see on screen.

yes, 2D is more clear than 3D, for most people, and what you worry are the same to me - all books, training course, software are 2D.

my soluction is simple: I will never play OTB.

Without a doubt, it is easier to see chess pieces in real life than on a computer screen or in a book.

I hear ya brothuh. I find myself making careless and frankly absurd moves on the chess board then I would normally in 2d. For some reason the knight attacking the queen looks more dangerous online then in real life. The only bad thing is that you can't quit the game right away and swallow your shame, you must look your grinning opponent in the eye until they destroy your poor queenless king. For shame.

I sometimes think I can 'see' the game in my head more easily on the 2D board, but I'm never really sure.  I don't play the same people online that I do OTB, so I'll never really know if I'm doing better or not.  I do know that, despite maybe doing/seeing better on 2D screen, I REALLY prefer playing OTB.  I just wish I lived somewhere with more people that enjoyed chess. South Dakota sucks for chess.  Theres not even a chess club at my college.  The shame. 

The shame.

I've wondered the same thing. I definitely play infinitely more in 2D than otb, and I don't play the same people, save for one -- my brother. My brother beat me consistently for 30 years. Then here, in 2D, I beat him for the first time. My game has picked up considerably... I just can 'see' things more clearly in 2D. And I play daily, which was never possible in 'real' life.

Maybe, for some like me, it isn't an issue of 2D vs 3D, but an issue of having more chances to play and grow your game online than live.

More practice in one format can lead you to think its the format rather than the experience that is making the difference.