Five BIG Differences Between Online and Over The Board Chess

Summary

In this video, Alex, a chess player rated under 2000 ELO, discusses the differences between over-the-board and online chess. He highlights the importance of playing gambits in classical chess, the impact of physical presence on the game, the significance of mental and physical health, and the shift towards more positional play in longer time controls. Alex emphasizes the critical role of endgames in over-the-board chess due to the extended time for calculation and higher stakes, urging viewers to study endgames.

Takeaways

• 😀 Alex enjoys playing gambits in chess and suggests that they can be effective in both online and over-the-board games.
• 🤔 When playing classical chess, Alex changed his repertoire to include more formal openings, but encourages others to play what they know and enjoy.
• 💡 Gambits can cause panic in higher-rated players, which might be an advantage for lower-rated players using them.
• 👀 Physical presence and behavior can influence the game, as over-the-board chess involves sitting across from your opponent.
• 💪 Physical fitness and mental toughness are important for enduring long games that can last several hours.
• 🧠 The psychological aspect of the game, including mind games and emotional control, is significant in over-the-board play.
• 🕒 Longer time controls in over-the-board chess lead to more positional and strategic play rather than relying on tactics.
• 🏆 The stakes are higher in over-the-board games, which can lead to more games going to the endgame.
• 📈 Endgames are more important in over-the-board chess due to the increased time for calculation and higher level of play.
• 📚 Alex recommends studying endgames to improve over-the-board performance, acknowledging that he needs to follow his own advice.

Q & A

What is the main difference between playing classical over the board chess and online chess?

The main differences include the physical presence of the opponent, the psychological and mind games that occur, the higher level of play due to longer time controls, and the importance of endgames in classical chess.

Why does Alex recommend continuing to play gambits in classical chess?

Alex recommends playing gambits in classical chess because they can create panic in the opponent and are less likely to be familiar to players, which can give an advantage.

How does physicality play a role in over the board chess according to Alex?

Physicality can influence the psychological aspect of the game. Alex suggests that his physical presence might intimidate opponents, and the way players carry themselves can affect the tension and mind games between them.

What is Alex's opinion on the importance of physical fitness for chess players?

Alex believes physical fitness is important for chess players as it can provide a psychological advantage and is necessary to maintain energy and mental toughness during long games.

Why are endgames more critical in over the board chess compared to online chess?

Endgames are more critical in over the board chess because players have more time to calculate and think, and more games progress to the endgame due to the longer time controls and higher stakes.

What changes did Alex make to his chess repertoire when he started playing classical chess?

Alex initially cut out gambits from his repertoire and started playing more formal openings like the Italian, Sicilian, or Spanish when he began playing classical chess.

Why does Alex think it's unnecessary to worry about having a perfect opening repertoire in classical chess?

Alex believes that players should play openings they are familiar with and enjoy, rather than trying to follow grandmaster recommendations perfectly.

How does the time control in online chess affect the likelihood of falling for tactics?

In online chess with shorter time controls, players are less likely to fall for tactics because they have less time to calculate and make mistakes.

What is the general approach to playing chess in person compared to online, according to Alex?

In person, chess tends to be more positional and strategic over the long term, while online chess can be more tactical and focused on short-term gains.

What is Alex's advice for players who want to improve their endgame skills in classical chess?

Alex advises studying endgames more thoroughly, as they are more important in classical chess due to the reasons mentioned in the video.

What is the significance of the physical presence of opponents in classical chess, as discussed by Alex?

The physical presence of opponents in classical chess adds an extra layer of psychological pressure and mind games that are not present in online chess.

Outlines

00:00

🏆 Differences Between Online and Over-the-Board Chess

In the first paragraph, Alex introduces himself as a chess player with an ELO rating just under 2000. He aims to discuss the differences between online and over-the-board chess, particularly for those who might be transitioning from online play to tournaments or leagues. Alex emphasizes the importance of adapting one's play style for over-the-board games and suggests that certain tips could be beneficial. He begins by talking about openings, noting that his preference for gambits remains consistent across different formats of chess. He points out that while many players change their repertoire to more formal openings when playing classical chess, he continues to use gambits effectively against higher-rated players, as they can cause panic and are less familiar to opponents.

05:00

💪 Physicality and Mind Games in Chess

In the second paragraph, Alex discusses the physical aspect of playing chess over the board, contrasting it with the online experience where players do not face each other directly. He talks about how a player's physical presence, demeanor, and behavior can influence the game's psychological dynamics. Alex shares his personal experience of how his stature and fitness might affect his opponents. He also touches on the idea that physical fitness can be advantageous in long games, which are common in over-the-board chess, and how it can impact a player's mental and emotional state.

10:04

🧠 Mental and Physical Health's Role in Chess Performance

Alex continues the discussion on physicality by emphasizing the importance of mental and physical health in chess. He mentions famous players like Magnus Carlsen and Duda, who highlight the significance of being in good physical shape for the game. He argues that being physically fit can provide a psychological edge and is crucial for enduring the long, mentally taxing games that are typical in over-the-board chess. Alex also suggests that the mental and physical stress of a game can be alleviated by being in better shape.

⏳ The Importance of Endgames in Over-the-Board Chess

In the final paragraph, Alex focuses on the significance of endgames in over-the-board chess. He explains that endgames are more critical due to the longer time controls and the higher stakes involved in tournaments and leagues. He points out that players are less likely to resign early and more likely to fight until the end, making endgame skills essential. Alex also notes that because of the time available, players can engage in deeper calculations during endgames, which is less common in online formats with shorter time controls. He concludes by urging players to study endgames more diligently.

Keywords

💡ELO

ELO is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator, Arpad Elo, who was a Hungarian-American physics professor and chess master. In the context of the video, Alex mentions his ELO rating of just under 2000, which is a measure of his skill level in classical chess. It helps to establish his credibility and experience in discussing the differences between classical and online chess.

💡Classical Chess

Classical chess refers to the traditional form of chess played over the board with a physical chess set, as opposed to online chess which is played on a digital platform. The video discusses the differences between classical chess and online chess, emphasizing the unique aspects of playing in person, such as the physical presence of the opponent and the psychological factors that come into play.

💡Gambit

A gambit in chess is a opening move or a series of opening moves where a player sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving an advantageous position. Alex talks about his preference for gambit openings because they lead to exciting games. He also mentions that even in classical chess, playing gambits can be effective and cause opponents to panic, as they are less familiar with these aggressive strategies.

💡Physicality

Physicality in the context of the video refers to the physical presence and characteristics of the players during an over-the-board game. Alex discusses how physical appearance and behavior, such as confidence or fidgeting, can influence the psychological state of the opponent and the overall game dynamics. This is a unique aspect of classical chess that does not exist in online play.

💡Mind Games

Mind games are psychological tactics used by players to gain an advantage over their opponents. In the video, Alex describes how mind games play a significant role in classical chess, such as observing an opponent's confidence level or their behavior during the game. These non-verbal cues can affect a player's decision-making process and potentially their game performance.

💡Mental and Physical Health

Mental and physical health is discussed in relation to the stamina and resilience required to play classical chess, which can last for several hours. Alex suggests that being in good physical shape can provide a psychological advantage and enable players to maintain focus and energy throughout a long game. He also mentions professional players who emphasize the importance of physical fitness for chess.

💡Tactical Chess

Tactical chess involves short-term, immediate actions and combinations that players use to gain an advantage or win material. Alex points out that in classical chess, due to longer time controls, players are less likely to fall for simple tactics as they have more time to calculate and anticipate moves. This contrasts with faster time controls in online chess where tactics play a larger role.

💡Positional Chess

Positional chess is a long-term strategy that focuses on improving the position of one's pieces and controlling key areas of the board. Alex argues that over-the-board chess tends to be more positional than tactical because players have more time to think and less opportunity to win through simple tactics. This requires a deeper understanding of the game and strategic planning.

💡End Games

End games, also known as endgames, are the final stage of a chess game where there are few pieces left on the board. Alex emphasizes that end games are more critical in classical chess because players have more time to calculate and plan, and because more games reach the end game phase. He suggests that studying end games is essential for improving over-the-board play.

💡Stakes

In the context of the video, stakes refer to the importance or value attached to the outcome of a chess game. Alex mentions that in classical chess, the stakes are often higher because games are part of a tournament or league, and players may be more motivated to fight for a draw even from a difficult position. This can lead to more games going into end games and players being more determined to find a way to salvage a draw.

Highlights

Introduction to the video and Alex's chess rating

Differences between classical over the board chess and online chess

Importance of opening repertoire and the author's preference for gambits

Advantage of using gambits in classical chess against higher rated players

Physical presence and its impact on the game

The psychological aspect of physicality in chess

Importance of mental and physical health in chess

The role of longer time controls in over the board chess

The shift from tactical to positional play in classical chess

The significance of endgames in over the board chess

The impact of time increments on endgame play

The tendency for more games to reach endgames in classical chess

The higher stakes of over the board games and their effect on endgame play

The necessity to study endgames for over the board success

Call to action for viewers to comment on the video's usefulness

Encouragement for viewers to like, subscribe, and engage with the content

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome to today's video

for those of you who don't know me my

name is Alex I'm rated just under 2,000

ELO in over theboard classical chess and

in today's video I want to go through a

few a few of the differences between

classical over theboard chess and online

chess because even if you play like a

slower time control online like Rapid or

maybe even classical there is some like

key differences between playing over

theboard and playing online justess

which if you do want to start playing

more over theboard chess maybe go to

some tournaments maybe play in a league

like I do then I I think a few of these

tips could be really useful in kind of

adapting to the over theboard play style

or if you like previously have had no

intention of playing over theboard maybe

I can convince you to give it a go so

the first thing I want to talk about is

actually openings but on a bit of a

specific level my play style as you can

actually see from the game playing in

the background I just got a few games

going on in the background that I

recorded earlier just cuz I was playing

some Blitz chess and some of you um

might want to have something to

stimulate yourself visually while you're

listening um anyway some interesting

games what I'm trying to say is looking

at that game you can see that I enjoy

playing gambits right and whether I'm

playing Blitz bullet Rapid or classical

I enjoy playing Gambit openings because

it's fun like it just makes more

exciting games and I prefer playing

chess in that kind of style now what

happens typically is when you go to play

classical chess you change your

repertoire I I I did this when I started

playing classical chess I changed my

repertoire so that I cut out the gambits

and just played more formal sort of

openings like maybe the Italian or the

Sicilian or I don't know the

Spanish like basically playing Less Fun

openings because they're more

classical chess because oh that's what

the grand Masters play yeah you're not a

Grandmaster so why are you worried about

like your openings not being 10 out of

10 in terms of what the grand Masters

recommend you don't need to just play

something you're familiar with and you

know and you enjoy that's why I continue

to play gambits in over theboard

classical chess against people rated

like 21 2200 like really good play

players I've played gambits against like

bday Masters and gotten draws like I'm

not going to say easily because they

were tough games obviously because I'm

not quite at that level yet but the

Gambit didn't hold me back whatsoever if

anything what happens is that when I

play gambits people start to panic

because the last thing that you want

when you're playing against a lower

rated player is for them to like come at

you with gambits like you you don't want

that as the higher rated player and I

know because I've been the higher rated

player in a lot of those scenarios so I

the the the point of this is basically

to say gambits work if you play gambits

in class in um online chess play it in

over theboard chess play it in classical

chess because they will work like I

promise you they will work

and whe because people aren't familiar

with them majority of the time if they

are they might be too Terrior to even

accept it this happens a lot of the time

when I'm playing against higher rated

players where they will not accept my

Gambit because I know the Gambit and

they know that they don't know it that's

the first thing that I want to that I

wanted to get out of the way because I

think it's like a common misconception

with playing over theboard chess second

thing is something kind of doesn't get

talked about that much but like

physicality because the one of the major

differences obviously between online and

in-person chess is that you're actually

sting sitting across from the person

that you're playing against right so the

way that they look the way they hold

themselves the way that they fidget that

all plays into like the tension between

the players and the Mind Games going on

like off of the board like I mean the

way if if someone just looks confident

then you're more likely to be like oh

um I'm a bit scared now and that might

affect your play style because they look

confident right and for myself like I've

been going to the gym for the past few

years so I'm fairly tall I have a decent

amount of muscle so it's it's like makes

for an interesting Dynamic when I play

against people because like I would

think oh that probably plays into my

hands right like being bigger and I mean

maybe it does I don't know like tonight

I'm playing against this little Indian

kid and I've played against him several

times in my um chess league and he is

really good like he's unbelievably good

for his age but he's like a tiny little

Indian kid right so does that like go in

his favor or is that a detriment

personally I find it

terrifying like that he's that good at

the age that he is right so for me

um or in my opinion like his physicality

or kind of lack thereof I suppose is

actually like playing in his favor

whereas if he was like the typical

60-year-old guy uh well at least that's

the type of people that tend to play uh

where I play it doesn't really carry as

much weight but then also like the way

that someone would dress or just hold

themselves or the way that they like tap

their foot or maybe sip their water or

something like there was that whole

thing with I think um prag Nanda when he

would like sip his water if he thought

he was winning uh I don't know if that

was prag or not but someone was doing

that um I know that for sure and that

was like that's obviously a massive mind

game because if you're playing against

someone that you know sips water when

they think they're winning and then they

sip their water you're going to be like

oh like I'm losing and then you start to

panic and the emotions all come into

play which is also another big part of

over theboard chess like

emotions are a massive thing which comes

on to my third point of mental and

physical health because I think it's

like incredibly important like for chess

you you you look at Players like Magnus

who kind of stress the importance of

physical health you look at I think um I

think it was Duda like there was um

videos of him doing like muscle ups and

that on uh I think pull-up bars in like

Parks which is like difficult where it's

not that easy of a movement to do right

but he's a chess player like do you

really need to be physically fit to be a

chess player I would argue yes I mean

not only would you potentially get a

psychological advantage from just

looking fitter right which again Up For

Debate but let me know what you think

about that in the comments um but also

like if you're just physically fitter

than your opponent if your game is going

on for like 3 four maybe 5 hours which

is not unheard of whatsoever you need

energy like that is a really stressful

environment to be in for that amount of

time right so you're going to need a

certain amount of physical energy and

mental toughness to be able to deal with

that to deal with the stress and to deal

with like the actual physical taxation

on your body I mean there's studies that

have shown that like chess players burn

thousands and thousands of calories

during a chess game and I'm prone to

agree with that I mean I know that I'm

absolutely starving after I play a chess

game so whether that's an indication of

me just really liking food or of it you

know burning a lot of calories who knows

but mental and physical health I think

is a really important part of it so if

you're planning on playing like over

theboard classical chess I would like

pay a bit of attention to that

next thing fourth point is that because

of the like far longer time controls in

over theboard chess and I also think

just generate the higher level of play

because if you're going to go to the

effort of like going to an over theboard

chess tournament or like club or

something you're probably taking chess a

bit more seriously and therefore because

of a longer time control the more formal

environment making for better players

overall it's much harder to play

tactical chess and to win off of tactics

because people are just going to see it

like if you have 10 minutes to make a

move let's say and that wouldn't even

eat up that much of your time you're not

going to fall for that many tactics like

you might fall for a tactic at the end

of a string of five moves during a deep

calculation you're very unlikely to hang

a tactic in one move that means the

Chess at like in like an over theboard

sense tends to be far more positional

and long-term like more strategic over a

long term rather than tactical at least

that's what I found when I've played so

if you're going to play over theboard

chess you can't just play like Blitz and

bullet chest to prepare for it where you

can win off of your opponents just

blundering simple tactics because it's

just not going to happen that much so I

think you need to develop more of a

positional understanding of the game if

you want to play over theboard chess or

you can learn more of a positional uh

kind of grasp of the game by playing

over theboard chess if you see what I

mean um but I think I think it's a good

thing to bear in mind because it's just

a different

game it's it's just a different game

playing in person or playing online and

one of the big differences is it's less

tactical it's way way more positional

for the factors that I just laid out the

final thing that I want to cover and by

the way let me know if this video was

useful by dropping a comment down below

please and if you haven't drop a like

And subscribe I would really appreciate

it the final thing is end games this was

in the thumbnail so if you saw the

thumbnail then you were probably waiting

for this um

the end games are way more important in

over theboard chess and I think there's

several reasons for that firstly is that

you simply have more time right you have

maybe maybe like a 30- second increment

or something so you've got lots of time

to do

calculations and to let look at you know

10 20 moves ahead in the future for Like

a Porn race or something or King Grace

or something like that right your

opponents are much less likely the

blunder something like that if they've

got a lot of time to think about it I

mean even just look at the game that's

playing in the background on the screen

now I'm playing an end game in a 3

minute plus 2 second online game right I

don't have that much time to be

calculating so I'm playing mostly off of

instinct rather than having say five

minutes 10 minutes to do a deep

calculation on the position and know

exactly what plan I'm going to play I've

got to switch my plan up a bit because

I'm not actually sure because I haven't

got the time to think about it if you

see what I mean the second reason that

end games are so important I

think is that I think more games simply

just go on until the end game because

like in over the in online chess right

in online chess I think more games get

either just just end like before the end

game happens in terms of one play

resigns or gets checkmated before you

even get to an end

game um but I think also when people

have losing positions in classical games

or Worse positions they're much less

likely to completely capitulate as

somebody in an over theboard game who

can continue trying to find the only

defensive resources and keep on fighting

until the end game and try and get a

draw out of it also because the stakes

are simply higher in an over theboard

game cuz is normally part of like a

tournament or maybe some kind of League

where you really need to try and get a

draw even if you've got a worst position

I've got draws out of terrible terrible

positions several times where if I was

online I probably wouldn't have managed

it but because it was over the board I

had time to really think about it and I

also had the stakes of like oh I can't

just give up like I really need to try

and get a draw out of this game so more

games go to the end game you have more

time to think about the end game

therefore the end game is simply more

important because it happens more and

it's played at a higher level so study

your end games like I don't do it enough

so this is like also a lesson for me

because I don't listen to my own advice

clearly but study your end games I hope

some of these ideas in this video were

useful and I hope you guys enjoyed if if

you did let me know what you agreed with

or disagreed with down in the comments

section below and I'll see you in the

next video which will be popping up on

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