I've noticed that many of the strongest OTB rated players have very middling daily ratings. I used to strive for a high daily rating, and had around forty games going on at a time. However, I began to feel that the online play was not only excessively time consuming, but my OTB thinking processes were being negatively affected by it.
Now I play daily chess primarily as a favor to certain friends, but even then, mostly 960.
I think people underestimate the degree to which different forms of chess are different specialisations. There is a huge scatter in the relationship between live and daily, with the scatter being greater the larger the difference in time control.
Motivation is one part of it, the way in which people prepare and play is another. It is interesting how some people think the higher accuracy of slower chess makes it more serious, others think the time pressure of fast chess makes it more serious.
Interesting question. I take chess very seriously and it takes a lot of my time. Too much realy, so I quit playin daily chess. I'm presently playing my very last game. I also quit playing speedchess. I do know openings, but once you're on your own I find it hard to cope with the speed of time. I play 10 min. games only, but the last one was several weeks ago. So this leaves votechess for me and that's what I realy like. Discussiing a position as a team. Learning by what others think. This too is very timeconsuming, but I realye like it.
I’ve been playing chess here for a few years and I don’t want to imply that I haven’t taken Chess seriously, all these years, but my rating has not been all that important to me. I used to play 10-20 daily games at a time and whatever “live” time control I was in the mood for. Every since I learned that it is completely acceptable for members to use opening data bases I stopped playing daily games. I don’t have many openings memorized deeper than 3-4 moves and surely am not going to start studying now.
When I joined this club I noticed “we” are highly ranked on the site so I figured if I am going to be here I better take the games here seriously and am somewhat relieved that it is ONLY vote chess we are playing now. At least any moves we make, and games we play, are not solely mine.
I almost exclusively play 1 min time control with a random 3 or 5 minute game on occasion. Very recently I was perusing the stats of a player here in the group that has a very high rating and I thought “why can’t I get a rating like that”. My bullet rating shot up about 200 points over a couple day period, simply by focusing.
I guess if you don’t study openings you’ll never get a big rating in daily chess.
A huge perk in daily chess is that you can study openings DURING the game (sticking to permitted resources, which means never using an engine or looking at evaluations). This means your study is much more focused on what you may meet. Playing the opening literally as well as a top GM is an achievable goal.
I agree that there is a big difference between the skills needed for different time controls.
For me, the slower the time control the better I am.
It has been that way all my life but I also am finding that the deferential gets steeper every year.
I have never been very good at 5 min. Reached near Master level (2180 USCF) OTB in the 70's and approached Senior Master USCF correspondence,
Now I have a hard time playing at A level at typical tournament time controls. However given time (hours) to work through variations I still do fairly well.
So I thoroughly enjoy the Vote Chess and a small number of Daily games.
The new puzzle interfaces help fast play a bit. Particularly Puzzle Battle. And they are fun. I got over 1800 blitz for the first time in 10 years or so (let's face it, I have never been a good blitz player).
I have lost the ability to play puzzle battles. Strange that I cannot find it anywhere but I think it is because I came back to Apple products. Puzzle rush is fun.
@Axorcist to “cope with the speed of time” is an interesting concept. I find that I can complete a 1 minute time control game more often now than before, meaning more games end with mate and not clock wins/losses. Some games the 1 minute I have to make my moves seems like an eternity and others I will lose on time and am completely surprised by brevity.
Yes, @Elroch, this is a “huge perk” I have not taken advantage of whatsoever. I will see if I can get a copy of MCO at my local library.
I use the opening database in my daily games, try to pay attention to what the position is and what move was the best. Then in live games, it is much easier to remember the best move. My live rating has gone up a lot
This is another way to phrase the question: what is my relationship with chess?
Am I committed to it? Is it a serious relationship? Am I planning to sleep overnight with it, marry it, have babies with it? Am I one with Chess in the eyes of God? Obviously, I have lost my ability to think, and can only think of glib phrases while I am writing!
Have I deeply contemplated my relationship with Chess? Not really!
Martin Buber wrote about an I-Thou Relationship (with God I think) instead of an I- something less, like 'you' or 'it' - it has been a while since I checked. And which of these do I have with chess? Do I see chess as a live thing with its own consciousness? But in reality, chess as a game or as a practice is a human convention, a web of thought and memory and knowledge that binds my mind to the minds of others. A common connection among humans. That is what it really is. Since I have done it so long, my practice becomes automatic. I have been playing 5 minute chess games and doing the puzzles fairly constantly for several years on this site. I canceled my membership officially after it renewed automatically without my expecting it, since my funding was pretty dire after medical bills, and I thought I should turn my life around. But the site seems to draw me back. I used to see all the news. I started to stalk one other chess player a little bit, and had to quit. My home page has changed, so I no longer see articles about chess tournaments, and that has simplified my exposure somewhat. I was watching the computer chess games and I find them fascinating to see. The positions are so balanced and pure.
I am sure I have no idea how to really explain the shape of my connection to the game.
I’ve been playing chess here for a few years and I don’t want to imply that I haven’t taken Chess seriously, all these years, but my rating has not been all that important to me. I used to play 10-20 daily games at a time and whatever “live” time control I was in the mood for. Every since I learned that it is completely acceptable for members to use opening data bases I stopped playing daily games. I don’t have many openings memorized deeper than 3-4 moves and surely am not going to start studying now.
When I joined this club I noticed “we” are highly ranked on the site so I figured if I am going to be here I better take the games here seriously and am somewhat relieved that it is ONLY vote chess we are playing now. At least any moves we make, and games we play, are not solely mine.
I almost exclusively play 1 min time control with a random 3 or 5 minute game on occasion. Very recently I was perusing the stats of a player here in the group that has a very high rating and I thought “why can’t I get a rating like that”. My bullet rating shot up about 200 points over a couple day period, simply by focusing.
I guess if you don’t study openings you’ll never get a big rating in daily chess.