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

Great advice!

Just do it!

Please readers - do not subscribe to this. CC has not said any such thing.

Players do not always have the opportunity to set up a 2nd board. A moot point outside the issue. This poster got feed back from a single Mod who gave his personal view and is Not policy. Another poster pointed out much more was said by the Mod and the interpretation made by PG’s is misleading and incomplete..

To reiterate- the discussion concerns Live play only and Not Daily games.

Since the practice can not be enforced the best can be said is - don’t use the board for analysis if it is your practice.

Better advice - learn to play on the flat screen.

By saying the rule can not be enforced means only CC obviously can not know what you do in the privacy of your setting. The rule  can be enforced if it’s openly violated. Example. TV broadcasts. A player is seen using a 2nd board during Live play you can bet warnings about Fair Play to be issued.

BadBishopJones is stating his opinion, as such, he does not speak for the site with his (mis)interpretation of the rules.

Live Chess, no outside assistance OF ANY KIND is permitted.

The rules have previously been posted.

This is stated clearly in Fair play rules. It is not  my opinion. Someone here is posting that according to CC Staff , the practice of using a 2nd board during Live play is OK/fine ... no big deal - go ahead and do it.

This is wrong and makes for a great disservice. Not an opinion but rather accurate information.

How does another board give assistance?  It is an inanimate object, provides no advice.  Not an engine, not a friend.   In Live, rapid games, it does not make sense anyway.  In Dsily, it does.

It drinking a Coke forbidden?  It is more help than another board.

Until Chess.com puts it in writing as prohibited, it's okay.

Not of assistance ?

Then why the need to use a 2nd board.

of course it’s assisting players who need it to better view the board . The question becomes does it lead to an advantage.  

It is a chess related TOOL .  One that can be easily be abused. 

Defenders of the practice need conferring with someone on the rules committee and get it straight. And Jamie is SA for Clubs . Giving out this information???

I’m finished here. The ignorance on display is beyond correction.

Like I said, let chess.com put it in writing, definitively.   Otherwise, free advice is worth every cent  you pay for it

I played my first Live game in years today.  9/0, no additional board!

Obviously Jamie - you are ill-informed regarding howrules are written.

No specific list is ever put in writing. It’s upon the cheat detection team to determine if any advantage is being gained.

If using a 2nd board and Every move made exactly copies the move made on the 2nd board - then it’s not much of an advantage. However, by 1st seeing the move in a 2nd board and in the process of entering that move on the playing board - perhaps the slightest advantage is gained for some players.

The main point is - players need to be on their honor and never ever take back the move played on the 2nd board. 

CC is not about to endorse the practice or say it is OK by requesting players not to abuse it. 

Rules are simply written. Since the rule can not be enforced unless directly seen it’s suggested - a guideline given not to use the 2nd for analysis, not for a single move. This does not mean the practice is ok, endorsed or permission given.

This issue is not a “big deal” in that no one will be banned for the practice. It remains technically a practice that’s against the rules of Fair Play.

I would like to try that but haven't done yet.

I am a USCF certified Tournament Director.  I go by the "book."   You?

Chess.com probably takes all kinds of actions, for all sorts of rules violations. So has anyone ever been punished, in any way, for using a second board? Its against the rules "technically". There is no specific rule banning it. So the reason it's "technically" against the rules is because it's a technicality. It's not outside assistance. So it's not actually, literally, against the rules. 

Obviously chess.com is aware that people often use second boards. They have openly admitted it, and chess.com knows who they are. So, have ANY of those people who openly admit they use second boards ever had any action of any sort taken against them? Of course the second board is for relaying moves of the actual game, and nothing else, nothing more. 

I was given the opinion of someone who works for chess.com. That's really all I can go by because I haven't seen anything else concerning this issue. The specific rule "no outside assistance" doesn't prohibit a second board because it's NOT assistance. If the second board were used to play out different options, then obviously yes that would be assistance and clearly against the rules. But there are lots of things that could be considered "assistance" that's open to wildly different interpretations.  For example drinking a glass of wine. If someone plays better chess when they are relaxed, they now have assistance. Is that against the rules? Maybe. It's probably not allowed in OTB tournaments. But it's not specifically prohibited by chess.com either.

Or what about a second, bigger, better, computer screen. What if someone simply likes the display on a second screen, so they relay the moves, and only the moves played in the game, to a second computer screen? The word assistance is open to interpretation. The interpretation I got from chess.com is that using a second board is not a big deal. Now, if they have since then implemented a rule that prohibits a second board, then it would be a big deal. Have you contacted them? Have you asked? 

It is a poor practice and not endorsed by CC as it is technically against the rules. The practice clearly is of no advantage for blitz games, in fact probably a disadvantage. Players should be encouraged to learn and play on just their screen without Any outside assistance (chess related). The potential for abuse - the taking back of a single losing move is great. Players need to be on an honor system 100%. Not the best of situations.

Your arguments making comparisons to wine and the likes are absurd and not worth the time to refute.

Because it is not specifically spelled out as against Fair play rules (such grey issues never are) does not mean it is perfectly ok/fine to do for Live games. It is a disservice imo to encourage players to take up the practice - putting them in an alternate situation to never ever take back a single move.

Good idea TT -

play unrated and continue the training. No issues whatsoever.

I noticed you didn't answer any of my questions. Most importantly, did you ask chess.com directly? "technically" it's against the rules. Well, in that case "technically" having a glass of wine is also against the rules because it provides assistance for someone who plays better relaxed. If it's against the rules, has chess.com ever taken action against the people who openly admit they use a second board for only relaying moves? Ever?

You guys/ gals need to start referring to the 2nd board as a “physical” board.

Both boards are real. Perhaps the screen is more “real” that of the OTB play for those who learned on the computer. Surely, OTB somebody would desire to use a 2nd small peg board to assist in visualization! Would it be allowed? Of course not.

PG - the terms used are “outside assistance” in Fair play rules. Quite different that a single term- assistance. It’s meaning is tied directly to chess related materials. You can stop with these comparisons to wine and eyeglasses. You are way way off track.

It wouldn't be allowed because the real board is already in front of them. What purpose is there to use a second board in OTB when the first board is already there? Chess.com has said they want to mimic the real chess experience as much as possible. In OTB, are they trying to mimic online chess as much as possible? Of course not, which is why an online screen, or second board/screen isn't allowed. 

Since a second board is not outside assistance, meaning it doesn't literally assist a players chess playing ability, it's not prohibited. If it were prohibited, chess.com would say so. Have you asked them? Think about it, the moves on the real board are played exactly as they are played on the computer screen. No changes, no trying different moves, nothing. ONLY the exact moves. How is that assistance?

When a player writes down his moves in an OTB game, that is relaying moves to another medium. Some players are very good. What if transferring his moves to this other medium gives him assistance. Is writing moves down allowed?