Do you set up a real board , when playing online chess ?

Perhaps I'm too new to online chess, but I just don't understand all this "cheating" concern.  If a player is just duplicating moves from a computer, then he'll likely quit playing soon (and his opponents just played against a computer, no big loss).  If a player sets up a real board, then maybe that's just his way of training; whether that's effective or not, wouldn't it be for himself to judge?  So, there's really no reason to really cheat online.

I am just returning to chess after 3 decades so kind of a noob myself.

My question on the other thread

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/help-support/experiment-with-responses-to-opponent-s-anticipated-moves

was essentially asking if setting up a second chessboard to play out imagined future scenarios in your rated online game against an opponent is cheating or not. In OTB play you would have to imagine the future moves in your head rather than play them out physically in front of you.

Playing them out on a second board gives you a major advantage as it is easier to see the threats and opportunities if the future board is in front of you.

So is that considered cheating or not?

In daily chess using an analysis board is within the rules. That's why Chess.com provides one. An analysis board is not provided when your playing live games because using one is against the rules. But you do what you want I couldn't care less.

^Thanks Randi. That was the question I was asking on the other thread.

I mainly play daily chess rather than live chess.

If I suspect what I'm doing is wrong (i.e. unfair to my opponents), then I just read the rules and interpret it the best I can.  If there are no rules, then I assume it is legal.  (Oh, that reminds me of a joke..)

Joke:

In the USA, you may do what is not forbidden by the law.

In Singapore, you may only do what is expressly allowed by the law.

In Russia, you just do it.

(This joke was from the post-USSR break up period)

Well, I may be telling it wrong, but it was very funny when I first heard it.

Playing on a physical board in Live and testing variations on the board, would be considered unfair and cheating. Playing Daily and doing the same is allowed.

Otherwise, playing on a physical board is perfectly fine.

I got curious about all the cheating stuff, so I looked it up.  And here it is:

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/chesscom-policy-on-cheating

It only talks about not allowing the use of computer assistance.  So it seems like setting up a real board or two is allowed.  (If we are not in Russia)

Well, that topic is from 2009 and things have evolved some.

I use a real board  whenever it is possible, study, play, or computer play. I greatly prefer the tactile feel of a proper board, it looks better, feels better, and is the original way to play chess. I'd never see a digital board if I didn't have to. I love the feel and weight of real pieces. 

I assume the OP meant just using the 3d board in order to practice the OTB vision, and not to move around pieces?!

I set up a board for my daily games. It allows me to easily study the game while waiting for the next move, and I don't need to be online.

Thank you Martin.

All good and understood.

Well it is not very clear whether the OP was asking about just visualising the current position or experimenting with variations.

Jenium wrote:

I assume the OP meant just using the 3d board in order to practice the OTB vision, and not to move around pieces?!

👏👍

Heinkel111 wrote:

Jenium wrote:

I assume the OP meant just using the 3d board in order to practice the OTB vision, and not to move around pieces?!

Well it is not very clear whether the OP was asking about just visualising the current position or experimenting with variations.

Of course just current. That way it feels like you are playing real over the board player , moving heavy pieces around, sometimes take pieces with agression when you found a good move etc...

Perfect scenario if you have a family member or a friend, who's looking at the screen and repeating moves, that has been played by your opponent and you just fully concentrating on a board, just like a real tournament.

True, but it is a sticky right on the top of the chess.com community forum.

@ohduckme,  Correspondence chess has a long tradition of being able to consult chess books during the course of the game (which, when playing through the mail often took a year or more). Cheating would have been asking the advice of another player, or, as the computer age arrived, using databases. It was a game based on the honor system.

Today, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an honor system for many. Consulting books during daily games is not cheating, using databases and engines is.

For live games it would only be allowed to set up the actual position, which would be too distracting for me to duplicate unless there was more than an hour on my clock initially.

For daily games, it might help a little but I'm too lazy!