When people play otb tournament chess some leave the board frequently during the games and others never, or rarely leave the board during the game.  The former group are "walkers" and the latter are "sitters". Karpov was a known walker while Botvinnik was a known sitter. I am a sitter, rarely leaving the board. Which are you ?

a sitter for sure

I'm a sitter. The only time I would get up is if I had a tough game in a serious competition and I wanted to see the other side of the board - but it would have to be very important.

I don't know what I am because I do sit quite a lot but I also get up sometimes too.  I rarely look at the board from the other side though, usually when I get up it's to take a breather or go look at my teamates games.

Another thing that might raise out of this is the question of whether it annoys you or not when others do.  I personally find it a little bit distracting if my opponent keeps getting up.

Sitting is boring and stultifying. 

 

I spend as little time at the board as is possible.

I'm a sitter. I don't understand how you expect to win a game of chess if you wander round the room studying other people's!

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I agree in one way that you are better using even your opponent's thought time to think through your moves but on the other hand you can become 'blinded' by a position and sometimes a short break from the board can refresh your mind.  I think it's personal preference but clearly if Karpov got up regularly it's still very possible to play at an outstanding level as a 'walker'.

Depending on the time control.  If its G/60 or less... I'm definitely sitting.  Actually, I've found when I play the time control G/90 or less... I find myself saying, "Where did the time go?!" 

 

I may get up to use the restroom (but I try to before the game)... Or sometimes your opponent is taking so long to respond... I get tired of sitting there... so I walk around... and keep a side eye on he board so when he moves... I can jet back to the board lol.

Since I'm in a wheelchair I'm a sitter. The exception is when my opponent is thinking a long time. Sometimes I will go a short distance from the board to clear my head.  It does no good to just stare at the board if you can't concentrate...or if you have decided your next move.

When I was young (age less than 55) I always walked around the tournament hall to see other games. Now that I am older I tend to sit and think about my game more. However, I still have to get up and around at least twice an hour or two to see other games.

I'm a walker. I play scholastic (kid's) chess, and there are only maybe two dozen scholastic players in my area that are 1400 USCF or higher. Pretty much everyone knows pretty much everyone else well, so a lot of us check up on each other's games (especially in the later rounds when most of us are near the top boards). This way we can see if any of our friends have exciting victories and if we finish earlier we can let their parents know how they're doing.

 

I know one extreme walker (about 1800-1900 USCF) who sometimes spends more time at other people's boards than at his own game and still only spends a half hour or 45 minutes on most games. Sometimes he remembers parts of my game well enough to talk about a position after we both finish.

Sitter, with a habit of making sure I get up once in awhile.

Kotov recalls how Najdorf was always up and about, talking with whomever he could corner during his games. "How do I stand?" he would ask.

Definetely a walker. I like watching how my friends do and I just can't sit waiting. I have to say though that when my oponnent doesn't get up during the whole game I'm always the one who loses...

I am a sitter..

the only time i get up is if i have friends playing and i'd like to go and see how they are doing during there games.

But if its a tournament where i have no friends in there i just sit.. no point in getting up

walker.  I don't even sit when people offer me a seat!

I'm a walker.  I like to walk round and round the table when it's my opponents go. 

I count and time the circuits and try to knock 30 seconds off each subsequent ten laps.  I mark each tenth lap with a gentle elbow to the back of my opponent's head as I go past.  If my opponent takes more than 10 minutes for a move I will need to be virtually sprinting flat out to get the 10 circuits in the required time.

In the recent "Knights in Prestatyn" invitational Knockout tournament Welsh champion Dai Young had taken 20 minutes after a stunning counter-intuitive move I had made.  I was so dizzy from all the laps I have been running that I fell full length over the table and parked my lunch noisily into his lap.  He was so disgusted he parked his over the back of my head.  I was so disgusted I heaved again and then so did he.  The game was declared a draw by repitition.

I am a sitter.

walker

Mostly sitter but i do get up...

Endomorph or Ectomorph?