OTB vs Online Chess

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, people had to stay at home for months and many chess tournaments were cancelled.  This has forced many people to turn to online chess for entertainment and for tournaments.  This blog will discuss the pros and cons of both OTB and online chess.

Pros of OTB/Cons of Online

First of all, OTB has a certain psychological aspect that playing online lacks.  Playing in person lets you see what your opponent is thinking, as you can see if he/she is nervous, calm, excited, etc. 

Also, I seem to play better over the board, which is due to a variety of factors including attention span and impulse moves.  When I get tired of thinking in OTB, I can walk around and look at some other games.  When playing online, it's a lot easier to make a move without thinking it through because all you have to do is move your mouse a few centimeters. 

Also there's more cheating online.  AHEM @TigranLPetrosyan

Cons of OTB/Pros of Online

When playing online, it's a lot easier to get a game.  You can play at home, but for OTB you have to go to the place of the tournament.

I also think that playing online is a lot more relaxed.  There's not as much pressure and you can always play a new game when you lose.

Do you like playing OTB or online more?