Play Better OTB

Chess is always better in real life instead of online. Chess that takes place on a real chess board is often called OTB, or over-the-board. OTB tournaments are a much different experience than online tournaments, so today, I'll be talking through a few tips for these tournaments.

1. Play the Board, not your Opponent

Chess is a game that can be mastered by anyone with hard work. So don't judge your opponent by their appearance. You can change your moves based on your opponent's playing style, but not by how they look. Young players have just as much potential to play well as older players, and shy people can be just as good at chess as confident people. Can you find the brilliant tactic 12-year-old GM Javokhir Sindarov played in this game? (Hint: Sacrifice to create a discovered attack on the crucial e1 square)

2. Sit on your Hands

Some of you have probably already heard of this, and while you can also do this in online chess, I usually just do it in real life tournaments. Sitting on your hands in longer time controls helps you not play the first move that comes to your mind, and instead think whether your move is good or not. If you have good chess instincts, this first move is usually a good one, but sometimes they can be disastrous. 

3. Annotate your Games

After a game on Chess.com, we have a handy "analyze" feature right next to our game to see where we went wrong, or what we missed. However, this feature isn't present at tournaments, so it's important to annotate your games and analyze them back at home. Since you usually play better at a tournament than casually online play, this can help you find your weaknesses.

4. Don't Get Stressed

Chess tournaments are really fun events, but after a series of losses, they can become stressful or saddening. Stress just leads to more losses, so if you lose a game, don't think about what you could've done (until you analyze it ) and just put it behind you, though this is easier said than done. Always remember that chess is just a game, and you are more than your rating or ranking. 

That ends the blog. Chess tournaments should be fun, whether you win or lose. However, bringing home a trophy feels amazing. So good luck in future tournaments, and I'll see you in the next blog.

Revised by the admins of Scholar's Mates https://www.chess.com/club/scholars-mates