What exactly is OBT?

I have a vague understanding of OBT but am not exactly sure what it is. It is very popular, and usually has longer games i believe. could you please tell me in detail what it is. thanks

Oregon Ballet Theatre. The premier place for chess games in the USA, many strong players retire to the playing halls after watching a show.

Wrong!

You may mean OTB.... Over The board.

Just guessing, but I think he means OTB: Over the Board.

chessplayer6033, it means playing someone at a table with a physical board and pieces, an opponent you can see. over the board. 

It is also used in the following way, e.g. "I calculated that combination accurately at home, but OTB I just couldn't do it"...i.e.  in the pressure etc. of over the board play I couldn't caluclate with the same accuracy as at home with a board and book in front of me. 

hope this helps/ 

I understand you can get discounted tickets thru Google.

Yeah, otb = over the board.  It's to distinguish face to face play from online or correspondence play.  Usually implied is tournament games but it could also mean at a club or any casual face to face game, to know just read it in context.  For example if talking about performance with an opening or against a specific player OTB it almost certainly means tournament play.

And yes, most tournament time controls are much longer than what you can find online.

Also, "OTB players" is a term used by problemists to refer to every one playing regular competitive chess.. An example: "How can we get more OTB players interested in chess problems?"

I guess it was invented to save people typing time in chess forums. Once upon a time, before the internet, people  got together, and played real face to face chess. Lol, believe it or not.

oh ok thanks! is there a specific rating for this or just a general catagory of chess? Yes i do believe that it is very popular, but i play 90 minute games online, and i have seen seeks in live chess for 120+30. They are not as popular though. Is this like 90 minutes for the first 40 moves plus 30 for the rest of the game long?

It is whatever... as long as you playing chess face to face then it is OTB... it can have no clock or it can be blitz...

Oh ok... i am pretty sure though that people talk about their OTB rating.. maybe it is just their elo?

well this is there tourny elo...

Yes, Chessplayer. OTB ratings are almost always FIDE or USCF. Most Americans use USCF ratings because, well, there just aren't that many FIDE events here. Most non-Americans use FIDE ratings.

yeah i just want a rating other than chess.com rating that is all

There are other chess sites, and if you live near a club, and join it, they probably have tournaments, where your wish will become a reality. You may not even have to join the club, but to play in tournaments, you will need to go to them. Good luck.

You're in Canada? Look up your canada chess governing body, it may be canadian chess federation. I just did. Here is there site.  http://chess.ca/   Look up for a tournament that they hold. Go to the tournament. You'll get a canadian chess federation rating, and it will be OTB. 

Oh I see you listed your city as New York City, Canada, so I don't know where you live. In any case, the US and Canada will have their governing chess body, and you will get a rating from them from playing in a tournament. And yes it will be OTB.

lol. good!

Find a local chess club (here http://chess.ca/clubs). Turn up on a club night. What happens next is OTB. It has little or nothing to do with rating (FIDE, CFC that is Chess Federation of Canada, or whatever). It does have to do with having fun. If you like it do it again.

Now you are a chess player.