How many of you play games online, but have a physical board right next to you?

I've been getting back into chess lately and have been taking advantage of learning the game online as well as the many ways to play computer chess, The one above I just played against Chess Ultra for Switch at Novice level, I was playing White. 

What I was wondering, though, was how many of you play online, but with an actual board next you? I'm not talking about the excellent, but expensive, DGT or Square Off sets, but a regular set that you use to copy the moves off the screen so you can see the game in the Real World as, it were. 

For myself, I do prefer to have a board set up, but my day job doesn't always allow me that luxury, (OTR Trucker).

i do that.

The practice technically violates fair play policy for Live play but no issues if used ethically.

A 2nd board could be used as an analysis board - taking back moves once visualized providing an unfair advantage.

By example - making the move 1st on the 2nd board and oops - realizing it’s a blunder and discarding said move. A 2nd board becomes one of ethical play.

And it'd be annoying for me to hear the board recite moves aloud and have to physically make the move. At that point, you might as well play the game on a board, but input your moves on the screen. 

Chess.com said using a physical board is cheating. It violates their rules. But when pressed they said it's unenforceable. Also kind of weird since they claim they want to replicate as much as possible real chess. Which is exactly what a real board does. Which they dont allow.  Who knows, maybe when they realized how goofy that rule is it might be allowed now. 

Reverse the scenario. Playing OTB and your opponent says - “ I’m so used to online play I can better visualize a small board”. He then produces a 2nd board - a pocket sized model and places it next to the standard one in progress ! All kosher ? Hardly.

 But a second digital board doesn't help mimic real chess. It does the opposite. Chess.com claims they want to provide as real an experience as possible. Well, nothing is more real than a real board. If at a tournament they wanted to provide an online experience as much as possible then it would make sense to use a second board on a screen. 

I do that for OTB practice in longer games only as it consumes time to move on a separate board. I use my surface pro tablet and prop it up on the other side of the board. 

What many people do not appreciate, is that OTB chess is very different. It is 3D not 2D. The long diagonals on a full size board are much great distance than most computer screens. The whole experience requires training your brain and peripheral vision differently.

If any of you are thinking of playing in an OTB tourney and have only played on computers, you really should practice with a real board or it may throw you off at first. Another thing you may want to try is downloading a chess clock app on your phone (unless you have a real chess clock) and also get used to hitting a physical clock. That probably sounds funny to some of you, but if you have only played on your computer you have never had to worry about. That is another difference in (real) OTB chess.

I prefer the 2D view, but maybe that's because I started out playing online.

Who cares? In daily matches, even in tournament, you can make a move for evaluation and cancel it to look at another before finally making a decision. I personally don't set up another board, but go ahead, what ever trips your trigger man. But don't use an AI, like Fritz or others. I will know and so will chess.com.

Wow. I was just using my travel set on my desk next to my laptop or phone. Honestly didn't occur to me that would be considered poor-taste/bad sportsmanship at best, cheating at worst.

Ah well.

when I first started playing OTB I would have to play standing up to replicate the birds-eye view you get online.

Quite simple really - as it must be. 

Anything other than the the actual board being played is deemed to be of assistance in one form or another. Not possible to differentiate and permit this or that under whatever circumstance or personal reasoning.

You and your opponent begin and end the game using the board and pieces provided. That’s it - except for the scoring/notation of moves. If a 2nd board is brought to the fore - it could be considered against the rules in rated Live games. But then no actual rule exists specifically citing 2ndboards.

Of course there is always the exception- a blind player for example can use a 2nd board - but such circumstances are known and agreed in advance.

The rule is not “goofy” as claimed and will not be changed even though unenforceable for online play. As some have stated - they learned to play on the flat screen and find 3D to be awkward or challenging. One is not more “ real chess” than the other.

The rules are the same. The experience is the same. Different format is all. I find it quite astonishing that some would think a rule would be deleted because it’s not 100% enforceable. To permit a 2nd board only opens the door for fair play violations in Live games - online or OTB.

I don't think they stated that.  In Daily games you can use anything but an engine - books, magazines, previously played games, news letters, etc.

@BadBishopJones3 I should have mentioned I only do this for daily chess - it's the only games I actually make enough effort for to analyze the moves (myself) before playing ad I'm old enough to find this easier on a board than on the screen in chess.com. I sometimes play 10 or 3min games but they are played live only.

The forum is about chess and beginners. Many players simply assume it’s fine to use a 2nd board and have no intent to use it for potential analysis. Perhaps they fail to realize a 2nd board is potentially influencing moves. Beginners need become informed about possible pitfalls before blindly using one. It does provide assistance  for some and as such is not permitted . Them is the rules - many of which depend on the honor system as they are unenforceable in online Live play. Nobody is going get sanctioned for the innocent mistake- unless openly displaying the practice and refusing to stop.

Note the term cheating is avoided by CC. Cheating is usually associated with engine use and obviously intentional. Fair play rules basically state any form/ type of assistance that is clearly chess related is not permitted. Makes good sense to me. It’s about maintaining a level playing field.

I think there are two different conversations here. Some people are talking about daily chess and some are talking about live chess. 

Yes.