30-10-2020, 11:04 AM
Online chess is a poor substitute for over the board. Particularly the social aspect that you simply can't recreate online. Whether its joking with your team mates or catching up with old foes at Congresses. Theres nothing quite like it, when you're playing in a team match and you look along the line or check the other boards to see how the match is going. With the relief as you realise the team is doing well or the pressure as you realise you need to win to deliver the match. Its just not the same online.
As for cheating it goes on and as someone else highlighted above they get caught afterwards. By which point they have already frustrated their opponent who has done nothing wrong but feels like they've wasted their time. Cheating also happens in 4NCL online as it did my brother, he plays significantly more online than me and was adamant that the guy was a cheat and so it proved.
Online chess is not the nirvana that some claim. It offers a poor substitute whilst OTB is off the table due to coronavirus, nothing more. The focus has to be on surviving this pandemic, by following the rules and losing as few players as possible. I genuinely worry that the social aspect of these lockdowns has been ignored and we are inherently creatures of habit. How many of us might not get back into the habit?
As for cheating it goes on and as someone else highlighted above they get caught afterwards. By which point they have already frustrated their opponent who has done nothing wrong but feels like they've wasted their time. Cheating also happens in 4NCL online as it did my brother, he plays significantly more online than me and was adamant that the guy was a cheat and so it proved.
Online chess is not the nirvana that some claim. It offers a poor substitute whilst OTB is off the table due to coronavirus, nothing more. The focus has to be on surviving this pandemic, by following the rules and losing as few players as possible. I genuinely worry that the social aspect of these lockdowns has been ignored and we are inherently creatures of habit. How many of us might not get back into the habit?
Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional!