Improvement

Why Online Chess Isn’t Enough For Improvement

What can you do instead?

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You’re sitting in front of your device, minding your own business, calmly playing a couple games to occupy your mind after a long day.

After a while, you sit and think: “Huh, this is a little boring. What can I do to improve my Over-The-Board performance instead?”

Well, if you’re in a time crunch, like I was in the past, here’s exactly what you can do to improve your level “offline”.

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1. Understand that online strength doesn’t replicate OTB strength well.

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No matter the rating, online strength isn’t good enough. As psychological and mental factors are lessened, the difference is key.

Although Chess.com and Lichess.org are doing their absolute best to somehow make the rating realistic, in most cases, you’ll never know how good you really are.

If there are any tournaments in your area soon, sign up for a couple of them. This should give you a vague idea of what you’re capable of.

If not, then you can always play your friends or strangers, but only on a real board!

2. Work on weak areas instead of playing more games.

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While it can be very tempting to constantly play online chess (the urge can be strong), it can be very annoying and unenjoyable, if…

You keep losing games.

“Why am I losing games?” - Well, in most cases, we ignore our weak points. Instead, we think that our level is good enough.

This is where things usually go wrong. If Super Grandmasters, such as Magnus Carlsen or GMHikaru, train constantly, chances are you could use improvement too.

Try and see where you’re the weakest. Then analyze, thoroughly and deeply, what you could have done instead. Repeat until the issue is 100% fixed.

3. Understand that Psychology is key in every single game.

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Imagine this:

You’re playing a Grandmaster online, while managing to get a good position. While it’s unclear, you feel good and in control. “Yeah, I could win this” - Like you’re on top of the world!

Let’s translate this in real life.

It’s the last round of the tournament, you versus the same GM. You’re both playing for a win when you manage to get a good position. You’re loosey-goosey, until…

The Grandmaster looks unfazed. While he’s playing quickly, you’re wasting time searching for advantages, eventually getting nervous.

Don’t “translate” your online skills to real games. Play with real people as often as you can. The results you want won’t be too far behind. :)

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