online chess analysis board

Do people when playing online chess use the analysisboard regularly? I don't use it because I just feel like I'm cheating. Plus in a otb or even a live game you don't have that option so I just feel like I'm not going to improve if I use it. Does everybody feel the same way or is it acceptable to use it during a game?

It is acceptable to use during your games. That's why it's there. In a correspondence game you could just as well set up a board of your own ("in real life") to test your moves on. The analysis board function just simplifies this.

About the not improving part, I think there is another side to that story. I'd think it's possible that using the analysis board allows you to analyze deeper, which could carry over to your mental analysis to a degree.

True Zen it probably will help. I just feel like using it during the game gets me into a bad habit. I'd rather force myself to analyze as best I can without it. Then use it afterwards to analyze the game.

True I guess they wouldn't allow it there if if was cheating. I just don't use it because I feel it hinders my ability to get better at analysis. Kind of like if you let a kid use a calculator at a young age. He may not get the answer wrong but he'll never learn how to do it himself.

My own take is this: you must decide on your goal(s) in playing Online Chess. If you play it mostly as a way to prepare for OTB chess, for example, then you can make the case that analyzing without moving the pieces is the best way to handle it. This is more like OTB play, will give you practice at visualizing, and perhaps prevents the development of a bad habit. But if you wish to compete in Online (correspondence-style) chess essentially as a separate game (as some people take their Blitz play seriously rather than just as training), then it might be best to learn how to play for your best result within the rules for that game. Moving the pieces for analyzing is ok under Online Chess rules and, as far as I believe, has always been the case for correspondence style chess games. So, if you want to compete at your best at Online Chess, then you should make use of an analysis board (as everyone can see farther and clearer by moving the pieces). That's just my opinion and it's all relative. In my mind, it would be just as useful to say that you play OTB chess to keep in shape for correspondence chess as the other way around. It's all about your own goals.

ofcourse I use it, why wouldn't I, It's not live chess, but correspondence. You're SUPPOSED to use it

True. I guess I shouldnt have referred to it as cheating. I guess I personally would like to improve my ability to calculate and and analyze a position in my head so I will just continue to do what I have been doing.

You still come up with the ideas but you can double check them