Playing live chess- does it improve or affect your chess skills ?

GM Igor Smirnov once told me that it worsens your game ! What is the contemporary opinion ?

i think it depends on the player. i know for me it hurts my play. when ever i stop and focus on OTB and study chess i do much better in OTB tournaments.i am at a stopping point again and hope to see a rise in skills.right now i only come here for friends and forums.

If you just mindlessly blitz away, then you'll not get much out of it.

If you use it to work on recalling opening preperation, and accurately and rapidly calculating lines, and managing time, then it can help your OTB play.

It's best used for getting a sample of natural replies to your repertoire, helping to find weak spots, work on thematic plans, and gives a sense of gaining comfort and experience in the lines you play. Be warned that doing nothing but blitz chess can slow your improvement and make it feel like you are stagnating, so only use it as one of many tools and not the sole focus of your studies.