OTB vs. online (The dangers)

Online chess platforms like Chess.com and others have undoubtedly popularized chess globally, but they have also commercialized it into a fast-paced, e-sports product optimized for engagement, not for deep learning or true classical development. These companies primarily profit from blitz tournaments, bullet championships, ratings ladders, and endless digital content that encourages players to grind short-term results rather than build long-term skills. Almost none of their mainstream offerings emphasize the importance of over-the-board (OTB) training, physical board visualization, or the slow, disciplined memory work necessary for real mastery. Instead of encouraging players to use physical boards, practice visualization, and develop positional intuition deeply anchored in 3D space — the way true masters were trained — these platforms feed users quick rewards, dopamine loops, and a focus on short-term tactics. As a result, many players mistakenly believe they are becoming strong chess players when, in reality, they are developing fast, shallow reflexes at the expense of deep, strategic understanding. The online chess industry, while profitable and entertaining, risks replacing the real art of chess with a consumable product — unless players consciously separate true OTB development from the commercialized, digital experience being sold to them.

Online chess is not inherently bad — it can be an amazing supplement — but without conscious structure and purpose, it can become a distraction disguised as progress.

Chess+internet - I cannot imagine any other human activity which are so well combined. And at certain moment we started to have smartphones. Wow. Perfect combo.

Of course, it’s different from OTB. But there are plenty of life situations when you cannot play OTB. So, online helps with its pluses and minuses.