I think I've discovered Something here . . .

Using that 'analyze' feature to explore lines - is not good for you - it robs you of your practice to do it in your mind.  I've got to stop using it. 

Very true! I only use it when I really care about winning a game, so I make sure not to make any miscalculations, but otherwise I try to do it in my head. After all, we won't have that option when playing OTB! :P

I'll admit it has that effect somewhat for me, but I have also noticed that it usually makes me explore things more thouroughly than I would otherwise. I think maybe a balance between the exercises could be good. Even GM's analyze their games after they are done using tools like this. I am sure they exercise their spatial reasoning with blindfold chess exercises too.

perfect tool for the correspondence players but not so for the otb.

I personally don't think that tool should be on chess.com. I can't say that it is cheating but it is very close to that if you are using it and your opponent is not. Also, it doesn't measure how well you can perform by yourself without any assistance.

I agree on some level, but not having it here wouldn't stop someone from setting one up at home and doing the same thing. Atleast this way everyone is aware of their resources. I look at it like using the opening book crutch. You can still learn from it some what, but it is a crutch none the less.

Uh-huh. So, CC players should only play what they can analyze in their heads? And OTB players should never move the pieces around after a game to look for improvements and/or errors, mistakes or blunders in their games?

Nothing personal but frankly I don't think you know what you're talking about

I was using it too much and only playing long games here.  Then went back to 30 min. games and I've had a long streak of losing games, like my 'analyzing in my mind' muscle was suddenly very weak and atrophied.  Goodchessmind nailed it.  Didn't you use to be called Fischer2012 or something?

I started to play CC chess about 1 year ago to learn new opening and as analyzing positions and so on. I start to use the engines help to analize the games and I become more laizy everytime to use my own strength.

After a while doing that I notice that my play in my club in OTB chess was decresed and I lose many oportunities in tactics,make mistakes and have time trouble.

A friend of mine who I play OTB and on here joked that when playing OTB, we'd both have to have small analysis boards to the side to work out moves on.

+1 

People fail to realize CC and OTB/"live" chess are different animals.

so what kind of animals are we ? 

cc -- three toes sloth

otb --monkey

blitz-- cheetah

Cheetah.  That's funny.

If the rules allow for the use of an analysis board as CC does, it's playing within the rules of the game and not anywhere close to cheating.  If an opponent chooses not to use it in CC, that's his/her choice.  I'm not trying to measure how well I can do without the analysis board in CC.  I'm just trying to measure how well I can do while playing within the rules of the game.  If you don't like the CC rules, stick to live chess.  As far as whether or not it hinders your progress in playing OTB, that would make sense, but since I haven't played OTB in 30 years, it simply doesn't matter to me.

Shadowknight911 wrote:

I'm pretty much at least 200 points better, i.e. master strength and higher when using the analysis board.  On the other hand, my opponents are probably much stronger as well.  Personally I would prefer that the analysis board not be available, but then I'd say about 20-30% of my opponents are cheating one way or another anyhow, so I don't think it matters. 

If it wasn't built in, nothing would be stopping anyone from using a set at home to do their analysis. Atleast this way it eliminates one form of cheating. Unfortunately, allowing the use of engines would make playing all but moot.

Tell that to the ICCF.

Moving the pieces around after a game is obviously different than doing that during a game. I treat CC games on here as OTB games. The only difference is I will look at the position after I've moved a piece and, if I don't like it, won't click submit but take the move back.

I think moving the pieces around weakens your calculating ability. It's why I try to solve chess puzzles in newspapers in my head.

BTW, I started a thread on this subject an hour ago before realizing this one existed. Glad someone beat me to it.

I think the USCF and ICCF stopped allowing adjournments after computers became good at chess. You could obviously have a rule that said players couldn't consult chess programs during adjournments but it'd be impossible to enforce. Just like it'd be impossible to enforce a rule that said CC players couldn't move the pieces around or consult books or databases.

I have often wondered if games at the longest time lengths ever get adjourned overnight. I have a hard time believing they would relegate themselves to only one match per day necessarily. I had considered the possibility of a player memorizing the last position and going to their hotel room and figuring things out. I am sure both would do it. It could still help to produce a result that wasn't otherwise going to happen. I am rather ignorant to how major tournaments between GM's are conducted. I welcome your thoughts...