Just over a year ago, I decided to learn chess. A club in my area meets once a week, and there are occasional area tournaments with $20-30 entry fees; but playing online (namely on Chess.com) has given me an endless supply of human opponents, a game archive for ongoing study, a comparative rating, and a whole lot of shop talk. I have immersed myself in the site to an extent not possible with OTB, with minimal interruption to the rest of my daily life (although I now rarely leave the house except for work and errands, and I have gained 150 pounds--ha).
When I started playing online, I watched my rating spiral down to 800-something before I finally started to pick up some wins. I am now in the upper 1400's, and though my true OTB playing is still limited (and rating remains low - no tournament play in months), I believe I have a better sense of the board, coordination of pieces, patience with myself, and overall playing confidence than when I started.
I realize that for all kinds of reasons, online play does not compare to OTB. But it has been a good launching pad, and I am grateful for this site and the learning opportunities it provides.
About six months ago I started playing CC (correspondence chess). I thought it might be a good way for me to get back into chess (which I had played quite seriously in high school). That was quite a while back, however. So I thought - what better way to get back into it than online: no hassles, play with players from all over the world, play on your own time & take as much time to make a move as you need (within the time restrictions).
What I hadn't accounted for was that playing online takes it own toll. I started off here and on other chess sites just playing odd games but soon started joining teams as I couldn't find the kind of competition I was looking for. That was my first mistake as I couldn't say no when the team captain(s) kept heaping team games on my platter. I was playing hundreds of games but wasn't enjoying them much. So I quit the teams and months later I'm still playing games which I was assigned. What I like about Chess.com is that I am not usually solicited by the team captains but receive team challenges and can pick and choose at my own discretion.
Then I encountered the problem of the "automated" player. Yes, it is clear that if a player has for example: seven days to study a position they might well avail themselves of a chess data base . I mean didn't (yesteryear) grandmasters who had their games adjourned during a tournament have the same opportunity and used it -- even going so far as having their entourage of players analyze their game positions and offer moves.
What bothers me most about online chess, however, is the player who is blatantly using assistance to play out every move. The kind of player who has played say: a hundred games and only lost two and those were by time outs. ( I mean this is not a natural win/lose ratio - now is it?) I realize that there are thousands of players playing online here or on other sites, but shouldn't this be a warning flag that this player's games should be closely scrutinized?
I've always purported that losing was the only way to improve...although winning is a lot easier on the ego.
Still, I will be taking a break or at the very least limiting my games online and try to get back to playing OTB. There is something quintessential about facing an opponent and looking at them in the eye over a chess board. This is a very important element that online chess cannot duplicate or offer. The game can be won on many different levels OTB, but watching an opponent think and react to your strategy is something that I dearly miss.