Is it cheating if I use a real chess board during a live game?

If I am playing a 30 minute game, is it cheating if I have an actual chess set with me and copy the moves that are happening online? I usually make less mistakes if I play on an actual board instead of on the screen, so before I do that I wanted to make sure it is okay to do that.

Thank you in advance for your help!

I don't see why that would be an issue.You can even connect digital boards to play on chess.com

nah cheating is using an engine or getting outside help

Alright, thank you guys very much!

It is not allowed. You would be able to move pieces on a real board and thus you would be able to easily see the state of the board when you calculate moves that hasn't happened yet, instead of using your visualization skill.

In daily chess, it would be ok, because you actually get such a board as a tool.

But not in live play.

Using a board when you play a live game online is not cheating ( some people see better in 3d vs 2d ).  Physically moving the pieces around to try different combinations on the board in planning/analysis/calculation/strategizing what you are planning to do/execute in your live online game is cheating ( as in a honest game cannot do this and would need to mentally calculate/visualize ).

I dunno. There are settings to show legal moves and to draw arrows all over the place so really I'd not sweat it too much. 

It seems like a bad idea at most time controls though, and a bad idea for anyone with OTB asperations. 

*Aspirations 

I've done it, just because sometimes I like moving the physical pieces around. I would say that it's cheating if, as #5 said, you're moving pieces around to analyze a variation instead of visualizing the moves. But my understanding is that it's not cheating if you just set up the board and play with it in parallel with what you're playing online.

If you are using diagramming on your online board during a live game to map out potential moves/calculation etc this is also cheating.   Remember, just because the platform has not blocked you using features doing so does not make  using those features during a game honest.

We can all have an idea of what is honest, etc. I use neither the arrows or the legal moves feature because it just seems silly to me and part of the attraction is exercising my ability to visualize, but given it is built into the software with literally no other purpose I have a hard time seeing it as cheating. 

The same issues are present in internet poker and there is a balancing act in addressing the practical differences between in person and internet play. 

I agree with this.  I get a grasp of a position much faster looking at a real board and pieces than working with an on-line diagram and blunder much less.  But I don't do it because, in a time limited game the extra time it takes to duplicate the moves on the physical board becomes a severe handicap when the time pressure starts.

Chess. com has openly admitted using a real board is considered outside help. And thus, is not allowed. However, when called out on it they revised their position. Chess.com claims they want to promote the real chess experience as much as possible, which obviously would include using a real board. So when they realized they are contradicting themselves, they reluctantly admitted using a real board is ok to do.

Obviously using a real board would have to be done as you would in an actual real game of chess. Meaning you only move the pieces as you would in a real over the board game.  No "practice" moves allowed. 

When I play online chess  I often use a real board because I like the actual real experience. Because I only move the pieces as I would if the other person were sitting across from me it's ok. 

@Elbow_Jobertski.   Regardless of one's perception of honesty this will still be cheating.   For example...as outlined in FIDE rules it is illegal in OTB matches to write your planned/possible moves down in advance of you playing them.  Diagramming a move online is an even stronger more overt version of this.  Online platforms were not designed to enforce FIDE chess rules but are nonetheless used for rated games.  Many an organization has struggled with the challenges naturally present when using online platforms for official matches and online platforms are not in any way beholden to make sure that you cannot perform actions that are popular on their platform but if used during official matches would be illegal.   Ability to exercise  something on an online platform does not make it honest or legal for a match...it just makes it possible to execute.

Well ok, that makes sense. If it is not abused, AKA used as an analysis tool, then it should be allowed.

 "Regardless of one's perception of honesty this will still be cheating.  "

Of course it is cheating if a board is used to try out variations, rather than doing all the calculations mentally.  Technically, it is also cheating if there is a rule against it, and one player does it anyway and gains an advantage from better perception.  But it seems a bit random to ban the practice, especially as it gives an advantage to players that are better at visualising a position from a diagram than with a board.  Furthermore, as most of us are never going to be professional players, and we do this for enjoyment, what is the point of such a rule?

"For example...as outlined in FIDE rules it is illegal in OTB matches to write your planned/possible moves down in advance of you playing them".

This has  been the case only since 2005.  Before then it was recommended in many instruction books as a way of learning to avoid blunders.  It was not "cheating"  before then because the option was open to both players.  FIDE claims it is a form of note taking, but I think they did not like getting scoresheets with moves crossed out and replaced with different ones.

My chess teacher says its fine

It's not one of the things listed as not allowed under the site Fair Play rules: https://support.chess.com/article/648-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fair-play-on-chess-com

There have been a lot of discussions over the years regarding this and if you are not using the physical board to test ideas out, you always make the move on the screen that you make on the board (or actually make on the screen first) then there shouldn't be any problem with it. However, if you're testing out ideas on the board that wouldn't be allowed, or if you make a move on the board, get ready to make the move on the computer and change your mind, that wouldn't be acceptable.

I see this is not really allowed nor forbidden. But as most of you said, if I only do the moves that actually happen on the screen, it is fine (Which I do. I just got a new board and new pieces but no one to play with so I just do the exact moves that happen on screen to at least somehow use my new set.). I would love to hear what an official chess.com employee or similar has to say about this. #14 said that chess.com publicly said it is cheating, on the other hand #19 is also correct with saying that is not listed in the Fair Play Rules...