Better Site: Playchess or ICC?

I can only speak from my own experience.

Around 2000 was when I first started playing online chess. After my first blitz tournament win i was hooked. I even booked holidays from work so I could play a whole marathon on ICC. Total madness.

It was also around 2000 that my OTB rating stopped going up and started a slow decline that continues to this day. Was that a coincidence? I think not. I stopped getting my chess board out and would just login instead. So the only time I seen a real chess piece was in the OTB tournaments I entered a few times a year. Today I don't have a chess board in my house. Even most non players have some kind of set kicking about.

I know it is all my own fault, but I want to blame it on something else, so I blame the internet. I it wasn't for the internet I would be World Champion by now and married to Mrs Anand.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Sure, it's preferable to avoid time pressure, but it's unrealistic to think that you can avoid it every game. Will you not match a large investment of thinking time by your opponent in a tricky position out of fear of falling into a later time scramble? I'd rather be able to match the time and know I can still hang with him when we're under 5 minutes.

Speaking as a self-confessed blitz AND time trouble addict, I think they are both completely different experiences. 5 minutes feels like a long time in a blitz game. When trying to reach the time control at move 40 with 5 minutes on the clock, the seconds fly by much faster.

Originally posted by hedonist
I can only speak from my own experience.

Around 2000 was when I first started playing online chess. After my first blitz tournament win i was hooked. I even booked holidays from work so I could play a whole marathon on ICC. Total madness.

It was also around 2000 that my OTB rating stopped going up and started a slow decline that continues to this da ...[text shortened]... ernet. I it wasn't for the internet I would be World Champion by now and married to Mrs Anand.

just think, all that awesome Indian cooking, meh, i am sure she has some sisters who
may be willing to marry and you could get an invite to Vishy's house. I participated in
an on-line voting game, Anand v the world, it was a draw, I have drawn with the world
champion, me and about 800 others. Have you tried the blitz workout? Every time you
lose a game you move away from the pc/laptop and do pushups or weight training
exercises or something aerobic, the idea is that you will not play angry the next game,
you will have filled your mind with oxygen enabling you to think clearly next game and
you will be a fitter more healthier chess player, is that not awesome idea? 🙂

Originally posted by hedonist
Speaking as a self-confessed blitz AND time trouble addict, I think they are both completely different experiences. 5 minutes feels like a long time in a blitz game. When trying to reach the time control at move 40 with 5 minutes on the clock, the seconds fly by much faster.

In many cases the position seems to get more complicated before move 40 and there is the added distraction of having to record the moves.

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
...if you don't review your games. If you are reviewing and making changes to your game you can improve quite quickly.

I have never seen anyone record OTB blitz games. It takes too much time.

Originally posted by RJHinds
I have never seen anyone record OTB blitz games. It takes too much time.

Sometimes they assign people to record the game for the players. I've had a volunteer record a game for me when I was in time trouble [in a longer game].

Originally posted by RJHinds
I have never seen anyone record OTB blitz games. It takes too much time.

you should try my workout blitz Hinds, just think you could lose 20 kgs, easily and no
longer be a fatboy.

That's fantastic.

Originally posted by RJHinds
I have never seen anyone record OTB blitz games. It takes too much time.

I'm talking about online blitz.. which most sites record 😉

Thanks for the input; I flipped a coin. Playchess it is.

Originally posted by no1marauder
Thanks for the input; I flipped a coin. Playchess it is.

Sorry I could not help you, but I am like you, RHP is the first and only chess site I have played on.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Sorry I could not help you, but I am like you, RHP is the first and only chess site I have played on.

You aren't like me at all. I have played on at least a dozen sites in the past including ICC and PlayChess. And I've actually played.

Originally posted by no1marauder
You aren't like me at all. I have played on at least a dozen sites in the past including ICC and PlayChess. And I've actually played.

Oh I am sorry, I was thinking you were a newbie to internet chess.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Oh I am sorry, I was thinking you were a newbie to internet chess.

Oh nevermind.