Which one do you prefer: USCF-rated OTB Regular or USCF-rated Online Regular tourneys?

   As all of you are probably aware by now, USCF has shifted to doing USCF-rated Online Regular tourneys due to the COVID-19 situation that's still apparently rampant in the United States.  After playing in some USCF-rated Online Regular tournaments (or tournaments with relatively long time controls like G/45 with 10 sec increment or G/60 with 10 sec increment) and observing the results in the sections I have played in, I have noticed an unusually high proportion of lower-rated players beating higher-rated players (this includes games with roughly 200-point differences between the players) and some of those lower-rated players unexpectedly finishing on top where the highest-rated players in an OTB version would normally finish (i.e. U2200 section of the World Open on ICC this last weekend).

     One limitation of USCF-Online Regular play is that you can't see what your opponent is doing and it is hard to tell for sure whether or not your opponent is using unauthorized assistance.  Based on my experience with USCF-Online Regular play, I personally prefer to go back to USCF-rated OTB Regular tournaments once COVID-19 blows over enough.  But for those of you who have participated in USCF-Online Regular tournaments, which option do you prefer (if COVID-19 was no longer a problem): OTB Regular or Online Regular?

OTB all the way.

A friend that is a titled player is getting fed up with online tournaments, and...ummmm...people playing less than fairly.

   It wouldn't surprise me if there were people playing less than fairly in said online tournaments and getting away with it based on how hard it is for the TD to monitor everyone through ZOOM for 2-3 hours straight without looking away for at least a few minutes in that time period.

OTB. I just can't spare enough time to play online tournaments. 

It might seem kind of ironic, but when I'm home I usually have other things to do besides chess.

For me, online chess has never been anything more than something to pass the time.  I cant imagine having to stare at a screen for hours.,

same, I can't keep up the concentration. Especially since my eyes were never good to begin with.

I play CFC (Canada) but OTB all the way, online easier to lose focus. plus prefer TDing OTB as well

I prefer OTB.  It is too easy to get outside assistance when playing online.

Agreed.

OTB. Less chance of cheating.

OTB, the sooner the better. Frankly I'm shocked the panic has gone on this long. Time to get over it people, it's not as bad as many originally thought. OTB totally safe for 99%+ of the population, hopefully things will ramp back up again in 2021.

"For me, online chess has never been anything more than something to pass the time.  I cant imagine having to stare at a screen for hours.,"

Absolutely right! two or three hours seem to pass by so quickly in an OTB tournament, but playing for an hour sitting alone in my room seems like an eternity

I hope so too.  Only time will tell.

250,000+ dead before Christmas. Sure sounds safe to me! And what could be safer than sitting across the board from someone in a crowded room with 100 other players?

If you believe the official numbers, which there are a lot of reasons not to. Either way, disease has always been part of the human experience, really nothing too much worse than normal happening. As I've said 99% of the population has nothing more to worry about than getting a flu-like sickness for a week or so at worst.

In case you were wondering why no other country wants to let Americans in

It seems so far that the people who responded to this thread unanimously prefer OTB Regular over Online Regular once COVID-19 blows over.

I apologize for double-posting.  But according to an e-mail I received earlier today, starting in September of this year, Continental Chess (the organization who hosted the virtual World Open on ICC a week ago) will be using USCF Online Regular ratings for pairings and prizes in tourneys.  So we might as well get used to it.

This also spawns the question of whether National Master certificates will be handed out based on USCF Online Regular ratings to those who have not cracked 2200 in terms of USCF OTB Regular.  I hope not because doing so will probably motivate more people to subtly cheat in USCF-rated online tournaments.