CC training for OTB games

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Yes.

As I've said, CC is part of a quest for the truth in the position. The analysis board (or a chess set)--I use both--aids the calculation of variations because you can look at the position. If it becomes a crutch, it can hurt. It need not.

zebano states it well:

Originally posted by zebano
[b]Secondly I rarely use the analyze boar ...[text shortened]... eature. If I do, I always think it out in my head first and check it on the analysis board.[/b]

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'm not quite convinced that the analysis board is a crutch, even if used extensively. Obviously, it provides concrete representation of the possibilities. I've found that visually going through the various possibilities/lines actually helps me "see" them better in the mind's eye, when there's no analysis board available, as in otb. Might extensive use of the analysis board aid pattern recognition, like seeing the endless diagrams in books? The flash-card effect. Some on this board have said they dream chess positions and have even found solutions in dreams. These dreams are visual, in the mind's eye, and they're likely stirred by staring at positions on RHP all day when we're supposed to be, um, working or something.

Please note: this post doesn't endorse said dreams. Playing while at work, though, is highly recommended.

Originally posted by more guinness
Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'm not quite convinced that the analysis board is a crutch, even if used extensively.

I did not say it was a crutch, only that it could become so.

In this, I must agree with Varenka's concerns, as there was a brief time a few years ago when I was playing a lot of CC online and was using the analysis board extensively, I found it quite difficult to calculate complex and long variations in an OTB game. I've used the analysis board less, and differently since.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
[b]I did not say it was a crutch, only that it could become so.

Understood. I more-or-less agree with your "truth in the position" argument and your emphasis on looking, which the analysis board facilitates. I'm not convinced yet, though, that seeing even more possibilities can be detrimental. Is the argument, in short, that it can make one lazy?

Originally posted by more guinness
I'm not convinced yet, though, that seeing even more possibilities can be detrimental. Is the argument, in short, that it can make one lazy?

This is a valid point. I acknowledge this, plus other points raised by Wulebgr and others.

To help clarify my thoughts, consider this. If I’m solving puzzles from a chess book then during then “solving stage” I prefer to have to exercise as many skills as possible… calculation, use of imagination, concentration, etc. Then, supposing I fail to solve a given puzzle, when I turn to the page with the solution, I want it to explain/illustrate the solution as clearly and completely as possible in order to give me as much insight as possible. So, two different stages of doing puzzles, each with its own objectives.

Similarly, when playing chess, during the play I want to test and exercise all of my various chess abilities. Once a game is finished, I then try to gain as much insight about the game as I can. So post-game, I move pieces around; use engines; etc. Anything to help me understand the game. But again, there’s a distinction between playing and post-game activities.

Consider the role of intuition in chess. There are many positions which a CC player can meticulously unravel, working out many variations over the period of days. But the same position in OTB play may have to rely on making an intuitive decision simply because it is not possible to “work out the truth” in a matter of minutes, and without moving the pieces. If I use the analysis board, or similar, both during and after the game, how often do I exercise my intuition, visualisation, etc? Not very often compared to OTB. And remember, I too get to look for the “truth in a position” during post-game analysis, so I’m not depriving myself of that benefit.

Wulebgr also raised the valid point that OTB skills can/should be exercised while playing OTB. Absolutely. But I’m assuming that most people only have so many hours per week for chess. If some of that time is used playing CC, and OTB is their priority, then how they play CC needs to be a consideration. If CC ratings/ability is a priority then this thread is irrelevant for them.