I have played many many online games, over multiple websites with multiple accounts. However I have never been to a chess club nor played in a live tournament. My question is, is there a deference when you play in person?
Are people stronger in person or about the same? Is it harder to play live? Are there nuances to both that make one harder then the other? If my classical rating is around 1900 (classical online) would it be similar OTB? Is it helpful to see your opponents facial expressions and body language?
It‘s quite different. If you are just used to merely one of both you will fail miserably at first trying the other... or at least way lower than you expect or compared to your standards.
As far as I am concerned I am by far more successful otb.
I would estimate your otb level than about 1700 Elo after some acclimatisation.
I can see the board better online and make less blunders because I’m seeing the board in 2D. When I play in person I tend to miss things more.
I think there is defenetly a physical and psychological aspect to the game that online play does not have. Feeling intimidated by your opponent or sensing that you’re opponent feels defeated.
Meeting people directly makes a great difference. Directly discussing a game is a good way to share knowledge.
It's quite different, you might find yourself in a small setting early Saturday morning rushing to your local chess club for the weekly blitz tournament trying to find a parking spot as close as possible to avoid the impact of falling snow. Rushing down the stairs to enter a basement resembling a medieval dungeon below ground, elbowing your way through a crowd of people to obtain a fresh hot coffee before the imminent start of the event, pay one's dues in order to earn your spot in the starting field of the 8-man strong gathering defying the harsh weather conditions. The adrenaline rush wears off as your eyes sweep the premises like a lighthouse, sizing up your opponents and calculating your expected score in a split second. All familiar faces and a rough estimate shows an expected final placement of top 2 considering today's starting field. The tournaments organizer invoking a moment of silence to repeat a few important rules and reminding us about sportsmanship, the dungeon is sealed and every window closed. After all players are seated the clocks are set and the go-ahead signal given to start round 1. My hand is extended for a firm handshake and eyes locked on my opponent sending a clear message, don't even think about offering me a draw. A firm grip is established on the white knight on g1 with intended destination f3, during a confident route to f3 the knight splits in half mid-air half of it landing on h3 and the other half outside the board. After 20 years of service, this knight is the last of its kind to be retired since its both ugly, missing one ear and only kept together by heavy doses of glue and maintenance. The equipment manager removes the fallen horse from the battlefield while my opponent has called upon the arbiter claiming the knight clearly landed on h3 before being obliterated. While this dramatic scene is playing out the voices fades out and my mind escapes to a previous tournament in Bangkok played in a 5-star hotel called Dusit Thani. The gigantic tournament hall was a ballrom equipped to fit 2000 people, Thirty-nine nations were represented, their flags creating a colourful spectacle on each table and the weather just perfect. same game but still a bit different. Regards Richard
If you wanna practice I suggest turning on blindfold mode and using the moves to play out your game on a real board
