OTB chess vs Internet chess

I first started playing internet chess in 1996, joining ICC at that time. Until that time I had only played otb chess and postal chess. I now have met a few people who have played chess on the internet but never otb! Are you one of them? I would like to kickoff discussions concerning the pros and cons of both. I quit postal chess in the early 90s when it became a contest to see who had the stronger program. :-( 

i have played otb(over the board?-gee we love our abbreviations dont we?)in the past and just now started internet chess for the first time. unfortunately, the chess club i was in disappeared about the same time bobby fischer disappeared. as discussed in other forums, i disapprove of using chess programs to play these games. how does that help improve your game? i would personally doubt there is anyone who has never played otb.

with otb you're there facing your opponent and "know" there's no cheating; on the internet you're never sure- i don't believe there's any(?) at this site. of course the internet has the advantage of not having to travel and still playing people from all over the world in the comfort of your "home". another good question(that might have been discussed before on this site?) is what are the advantages and disadvantages of the different speeds(blitz, tournament, postal[turn-based]) of chess.

Don1 wrote: with otb you're there facing your opponent and "know" there's no cheating; on the internet you're never sure- i don't believe there's any(?) at this site. of course the internet has the advantage of not having to travel and still playing people from all over the world in the comfort of your "home". another good question(that might have been disgust before on this site?) is what are the advantages and disadvantages of the different speeds(blitz, tournament, postal[turn-based]) of chess.

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disgust? i guess spellchecker wont help with this one(s/b discussed!) sorry former english major-can't help myself. [turn-based]-isn't all chess turn-based? now that's an idea-free for all chess(sort of a combo of wrestling,judo,pole vaulting,aikido, and chess). just kidding -on vacation this week and kinda nutty(didn't think i would ever miss work)-well not that much.

Some differences (pros and cons of OTB vs. online chess)

- Usually OTB games are longer games (say 2 hours each), which gives those games a higher quality.

- Because those games are of a higher standard, you also learn more from those games (especially lost games of course) than from faster games. 

- Also, if they're longer games, then the better player will win, rather than the quickest/luckiest/sneakiest player.

- If the games are longer, a disadvantage would be that you can play less games in the same period of time compared to online blitz chess.

- In OTB games you can be (more) sure that your opponent doesn't cheat, since you can see him in person.

- OTB games are usually more social, since you actually have interaction between two people, instead of two anonymous players who can just swear at eachother without having to worry about being considered rude

- In OTB games, psychology plays a bigger part (not necessarily a pro), because you can actually see your opponent's face when you make a good/bad move, see when he gets nervous etc.

- In online chess, it's (in my opinion) easier to practice new openings. Suppose you just learnt a new opening, and want to test it. Playing 20 blitz games online with that opening gives you a good impression of what to expect in an OTB game.

There have been players caught cheating in otb chess also, but ofcourse its much more difficult to do than online. One advantage I like in otb chess is the travel and meeting new people from all walks of life. Some of them become friends for life. I think the anonymity of the internet encourages rude behavior, sadly. One can be rude, even really nasty, on the net and not suffer any consequences. When face to face there are likely to be consequences , so people mind their manners better .  :-)

I play both OTB chess and internet chess. I think both have their benefits. I enjoy playing OTB the most as you get to play against another "real" opponent and that is the ultimate competition. But one of the good things about internet chess is that it is much easier to play (just simply logging in and putting out a seek) and will fit into most peoples schedules as it does now for me.

If it was not for internet chess then I would only play chess once a week at the local chess club but with internet chess available I can play everyday whenever I want.

I have played both I used to play for Barnsley Chess club a very long time ago.

But i still use my chessboard and set to play internet chess the only difference is your opponant is not at the other side off the board.

The reason i do that is i cannot think off my moves without seeing them on the board.

it takes a while to go through the games but this type off chess suits it

 

I believe over the board chess gives a much more exquisite experience to Chess. However, its not always possible to get someone to play with you in real life, so we have internet chess as substitutes! Internet Chess is good in the sense that you get to play many different people with different playing styles, and learn from people stronger than you instead of playing a few perpetual opponents in your own chess club!

I also play both online and otb chess, but I prefer otb chess. Aside from the mentioned arguments for playing otb chess, one big reason why I personally like otb chess more is that I have goals there. In online chess you can also have ratings showing your progress, but those ratings are quite meaningless. In otb chess you can set real goals, like trying to get 2300 FIDE within a year or two (which is my current goal). In otb chess, ratings actually mean something.

I agree that otb ratings are much more meaningful than internet ratings, which are usually based on blitz or bullet chess anyway. My current goal is also to get the FM title. I have no goals in net chess other than just making new friends and enjoying the game. I huge plus for me is that in OTB chess I travel to various places that I might never see if not for chess.

I've been playing on the internet since 1996 during which time I've played tens of thousands of games.  I've never played tournament chess (which most people seem to be referring to as OTB chess) and possibly less than a dozen actual OTB games. I found it extremely difficult to visualize and "see" using a real board and pieces, and felt, as a result, that I played poorly under those conditions. So, my OTB experience, what little there has been, wasn't to thrilling. As casual games, I thought they were far less deep than games I've played on sites such as this, and a bit more deep than my usual blitz (but not by much). My best games were those I played at FICS years ago at 150/0 time controls.

 

"I think the anonymity of the internet encourages rude behavior, sadly."

- I think anonymity tends to brings out a person's real character.  "Character" has sometimes been defined as how you act when no one is watching.  

 

"[turn-based]-isn't all chess turn-based?"

- turn-based has a specific meaning when applied to internet chess.

 

"with otb you're there facing your opponent and "know" there's no cheating; on the internet you're never sure- i don't believe there's any(?) at this site."

- Surely you don't believe that?

 

OTB chess puts you face-to-face with your opponent, no doubt. But, even while you don't actually see your opponent on the internet, there is a connection established between two entirely individual minds. For the brief moment in time in which my opponent and I dance together in our little chess ballet, we perform something unique and special, whether it's merely plebian or truly wonderful, that only the joint venture of our minds could create. And for each of those moments, I'm grateful.

I guess it really is "to each his own", because I've had the opposite experience, BatG, with OTB and netchess.  In otb I feel I calculate more precisely and feel that my play is greater when I touch physical pieces.  There--for me--is just a level of intensity (some people do better under [more] pressure than others) that brings about better play in my otb games.  And I'm not trying to say that there is no pressure when playing netchess...of course a compromising position on the net will be a subject of stress just as it will be in otb chess; the level of that stress is what is different when I juxtapose the two (for me).

I prefer OTB play, because I'm a competitive person and "real" tournaments count for more than just trying to win rating points from some internet site. I tend to take the games more seriously and play better, both because of my competitiveness and because I seem to visualize better with 3d pieces than when I use a computer screen. Which is odd, since most of my practice and study is 2d (computer screens and puzzles in books).

 

--Fromper
 

Its interesting that batgirl visualizes better on 2-d boards , I have always had the exact opposite experience. It might be because I played otb more than 20 years before trying the net?

I prefer on the board games to online ones, however, I will hapily play online if it helps me find opponents.

doctor-ice wrote: i would personally doubt there is anyone who has never played otb.

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 I'm not so sure of that. While that might be true of someone from my generation, I'm inclined to believe that there are many kids all over the world who have played computer chess, GNU Chess on a cheap GNU/Linux box for instance, who have never seen a physical chess board.

Reb wrote: Its interesting that batgirl visualizes better on 2-d boards , I have always had the exact opposite experience. It might be because I played otb more than 20 years before trying the net?

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Being a rated chess master, what do you think of DGT USB chess boards? I'm thinking of buying one for the very reasons you alluded to, i.e. I've played almost exclusively on 2-d and faux-3d computer chess programs.

I hate to disagree with Batgirl about anything but OTB with real pieces and a live opponent sitting across from you adds a whole different dimension to the game. Online chess doesn't afford you the ability to make an illegal move. How many times has an opponent OTB moved and didn't realize that he was in check? You get the psychological advantage of letting him know that he has to put the piece back and he has to start his process over. Even better, you get his telegraphed intention for his next move. Also, writing your moves and playing is HARD. Really! And, your adrenaline roars when you have to face somebody. No internet game will ever compare to OTB play.

"I hate to disagree with Batgirl..."

 

Well, first off, it's quite ok to disagree with me.  In fact disagreement is a key element of truth-seeking. But the fact here is that you're not disagreeing with me.  I haven't, indeed can't, speak about the OTB experience because I barely have any. I only mentioned my own problems with it - due entirely to my inexperience with it.