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

You just told me something I also think to be the case. I really liked long controls. The longer the better ... preferably two and a half hours each for all moves is about right. And I always loved 5 mins blitz, changing to ten mins as I got a bit older. But I only ever played rapidplay tournaments, that is 30 or 25 mins for each player, for the prize money and I treated it also as practice for longplay. In a way, I hated rapidplay because there isn't enough time to really think well but if you blunder and the game MAY be saveable then you have maybe half an hour of living hell trying to save it, whereas with blitz, the agony's over quickly.

<<But  I still don't see how moving pieces on the screen and drawing arrows would be any less advantageous then plying along with a real chess board.   I mean you yourself already admitted that would be a disadvantage.   But in that caise I believe it is a disadvantage again for most people. Even those who play mostly OTB chess.>>

I find that hard to follow. Let's just say that I consider arrows as a ridiculous distraction and if I draw one by accident, it annoys me. They are completely ridiculous and suitable only for five year olds or for people with a mental age similar to that.

yes it is

Incredible to see so many people who is cheating here so openly admitting it, people is just indulging themselves permission to cheat to feel they are better at this game, someone say even chesscom said it is not cheating because they want to promote a real life like experience... jajaja, well if that they case imaging the otb games being played in that fashion, each player with a side board to trying and trying and discard all the options and making sure testing all the lines to the winning one, that is external assistance, is not like in real life when you have no side boards. This is disgusting.
psdt. Arrows is another topic that could be discuss, it doesn't give you permission cheat. 

Testing lines on the physical wouldn't be allowed when using a physical board. It's essentially a touch move option. You touch a piece on the physical board, you move it and do the exact same thing on the site live board.

^^ Not quite accurate. On the live board you can pick up a piece and put it back. That's necessary because it's so easy to misclick and pick up the wrong piece. It wouldn't be viable otherwise.

Revelant and kind... I'm sorry but I really appreciate the aesthetic of a walnut and maple board with real boxwood and rosewood or ebonized pieces. It's one of the reasons I play chess. I can't believe that there are people that would deprive me of such an indulgence. I actually set the board up partly in honor of my opponent. I am privileged to have an opponent. Besides it puts me at a time disadvantage. I understand your considerations but you are most welcome to reciprocate with your own board. I am not going to pay a premium on a website that would deny me such an indulgence. I play touch move when playing for a rating. The other day at an OTB tournament I touched a piece and kept touching it and my opponent said I didn't have to do that. You move first on the screen followed by the board full stop. Telegraph was just starting out in my day. Hence the use of the term "full stop." When it comes down to it, we are on the honor system here. If you think somebody isn't playing fair, then don't play them. Put me on your list because I would use a board, although I haven't done so far, but I would in a G/15+10. Someday I will. I'm looking forward to it.

I prefer just to play on the screen. You get used to it and I think constantly changing between
2-d and 3-d would be confusing more than anything and cost clock time.  But it certainly goes agains the spirit of the thing to work out variations on a separate board. That's cheating and I think that allowing a side board would place temptation in people's way. So, reluctantly perhaps, I can see the logic.

When it comes down to it, we are on the honor system here.

But that's a point.

Chess is played on a board! Not a screen. And has been played on a board for many hundreds of years!

No.

It hasn't been played on a board for hundreds of years?

Yes, ScreenMonkey.

That's funny. I've actually been thinking about changing my user name. But seriously, if somebody wanted to cheat, they would start an engine. They wouldn't set up a board. A board, even with manipulation, isn't going to prompt you to make a brilliant move like an engine can. The engines are the problem. Not the boards.

I tend to agree but I think they're aware of the element of temptation that using a side board could create. It woudn't be tempation for me though. And I think they've got it wrong and there should be more trust and not less. Just a mistake in their thinking, like when I got muted for using the word for a lady dog in a conversation about dogs. I certainly complained about that because I considered it abusive of the site to do that. Made a suggestion as to how it can be prevented and was given a gift for that. Hope they implement it.

My point is, not to be contentious, that the board is the main board. It's not the side board. It's not intended for analysis. The screen is an output device that indicates your opponent's move that you then affect on the board. You then play your move on the screen followed by the board. When you run out of time at the end of the game you shall have to dispense with the board because it will put you at a time disadvantage. But after the game you review the game on the board if you enjoy using a board.

I'm completely happy with your interpretation. The screen board is a means to transmit your choice of move, right? Seems weird to think that this is insurrectionism.

I submit to you sir! I am not an insurrectionist!

Personally, I wouldn't consider it cheating.  In fact, it might even be considered a disadvantage to need a "real" board to better view the game.

As a similar scenario to consider, what if people were playing a game of chess by e-mail and simply e-mailing their moves back and forth as text messages "e4" and then "e5" etc.  Would it be considered cheating to use a physical board or program to display the current state of the board instead of attempting to remember or recreate the game state after each move?

Again, personally, I don't think so.  I learned Chess when I was young and it was playing on a physical board with my father and I can understand why someone might desire to maintain that "feel" / "environment" in order to play comfortably.  To be honest, using a computer and the internet to play Chess seems convenient and more relaxed, but also it feels a bit artificial.

Enjoy and good luck with your gaming.

Nope