Explain daily chess to me

I want to start playing daily but I don't know the basics.  I don't want to start a challenge and then not know what to do.  

What does 1 day, 3 day etc mean?  One day per move or one day for the whole game?  What are the limits on move time for a one day game for example?  If it is one day per move, can you make 4 or 5 or 10  moves if your opponent is moving more quickly?  Is 24 hours the max time to make your move and you lose if you don't move within that time?  

I'll stop with the questions.  I think you can see I just don't know anything.  Can I please have a brief introduction, or point me to a site where this is all explained?  Thanks! 

https://support.chess.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1444775-how-does-turn-based-chess-work-

https://support.chess.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1444880-what-do-i-need-to-know-to-get-started-with-online-chess-

And importantly,

https://support.chess.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1444879-fair-play-on-chess-com-what-you-need-to-know

So it's that simple.  Thanks!  And thanks to Danny Rensch for that explanation. 

I'm going to get started. 

So you can try different moves and experiment with them on the analysis board before deciding on one?  Seems like cheating but I can see how that could help develop your thought process which is just what I need.

Using the analysis board isn't cheating because Daily chess is intended to be an online form of Postal chess... and in Postal, you were allowed to shuffle the pieces around on your board at home until you had found a continuation that you were satisfied with.

Just think of it as Postal chess played over the internet instead of through the mail, and all of the rules should make sense to you.

That's my plan, to set up games on a real board and get more use out of my beautiful chess pieces. 

I thought of that too.  That one could become lazy and just start experimenting with moves before actually trying to figure out the best move in your mind.  

But I'm imagining that if used correctly, it could help you to have an "analysis board in your head" during normal play once you get in the habit of considering alternatives and opponents responses as a normal part of your thought process.  Maybe?  

@MagdeburgThePianist , Oh Gott

For me, the ability to use an analysis board in daily chess helps me see the possibilities in various openings, strategies, and tactics and improves my overall chess.

DUDE.

An alternate is to watch YouTube videos then practice at http:\\www.chesspractice.com. It shows you the best four moves but only after you have moved!  Concentrate on learning one openings, the queen pawn. Then learn two defenses:  the French against the king pawn opening and the queens Indian against the queen pawn opening. Lastly learn how to checkmate with the simple beginner examples. Then move on to doing checkmates by playing the chess challenges at this site. They put you in a winning position but you have to work to get a checkmate. 

dear heavens..

For "daily" games (aka correspondence, online, turn-based chess) you can use and study books, articles, databases (e.g., opening explorers, game collections - online or offline), and videos, DVDs etc. What is not allowed is to use a computer (i.e., chess engine) to calculate the moves of a game you are currently playing, or to use the aid of humans for the purpose of determining your moves in a game you are playing. So, no computer calculation of your moves and no human assistance, for a game you are playing. Otherwise you are free to make use of all other resources when playing "daily" chess.
The case for "daily" chess vs rapid chess...
https://www.chess.com/article/view/longer-time-controls-are-more-instructive

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-blitz-and-bullet-rotted-my-brain-don-t-let-it-rot-yours

Finally, consider that regardless of whether you are using legal resources, your opponent is likely to be using them....

I started this thread before I ever played my first game of daily, and I have to say I think its great, now that I have gotten into it a bit. 

I used to wonder how GMs in classical games can spend so much time on 1 move, but now I see that the more you think about a move the more you understand how complicated it can be.  Now I have looked at 1 position for hours, on several occasions, (with or without analysis board), and I think that has changed my brains thinking about chess in general.  

My rapid rating has gone up since I started playing occasional daily games, as I think it has opened my mind to possibilities I didn't see before.  

I use the analysis board but try not to over use it.  I have mixed feelings about it.  Does it help train your mind to look deeper into lines, or does it make you lazy, and stop you from thinking, when its easier to just try stuff?  I think it can do either or both of those things, but I am intersted to hear what other people have to say about using the analysis board. 

How would any form of learning or training cause one to become lazy or impair your ability to think?  It that were true, the more schooling you receive, the lazier you would become, and the less capable of thinking.  Nonsense.

It's postal chess without the postcards.

Yes Russ I think that way too, but if you are in a complicated position and your oppenent moves, and the first thing you do is turn on analysis and experiment with your options, I think that is a bad habit. 

I try to look at it as if it is an OTB game, and decide on my move, then use the analysis board to look deeper and see if I made the right decision.

Using the analysis board and thinking are not mutually exclusive activities.  There is no rule that says you cannot think while using the analysis board.  You decide if and when to think.  You don't suspend thinking when using the analysis board.  That is, the analysis board does not do your thinking for you.  

The point is, when analyzing a position and trying to determine which move to make, you are always thinking, whether you are using the analysis board or not, and regardless of when you decide to employ the analysis board as part of the process.

For playing live chess, being able to analyze the position and visualize candidate moves (i.e., without physically moving the pieces) is obviously an important skill.  So any practice in developing that ability is valuable.  This is probably more to the point that forked_again is trying to make.  However for the purposes of "daily" chess, you will clearly improve your chances of success by spending time in deeper analysis with an analysis board.

Right, but is it your contention that using the analysis board can help with live chess visualization?  

My point is that any mental effort (i.e., thinking) that involves using your brain to analyze chess positions is beneficial, regardless of whether it involves using an analysis board.  And that using an analysis board does not eliminate thinking (or make you lazy).