Tips for Screen Chess

Hi All,

I've been playing chess all my life but have always played on a board whether it was in a club or just with friends. I had always stayed away from screen chess (as I call it....don't know what it's really called) as I prefer the physical game but did dabble in msn zone chess years ago but never really got into it.

However, I have recently started playing on my phone and now that I've found RHP I'll be playing here too.

What I'd like to ask is whether anyone has any tips for playing multiple games on a screen especially since people have 3 days to play a shot. How do you 'remember' your overall plan in a particular game when you have so many games playing at one time. I'm finding that depending on my frame of mind at any time determines whether I play an attacking game or defensive game but when I go back to that game my frame of mind will have changed and then so does my overall plan. Does that make sense?

I would appreciate if anyone has any tips for playing screen chess and particularly keeping up the tempo when you go back to a game after a few days break. I just find it slightly more challenging than sitting down with a board and playing till mate.

Cheers

James

Go through your game history for the game, this should help keep track of whats going on. just speeding through it should help you remember whats going on.

Ah yes that's what I do. I think my issue is more the mind set. Mine and my opponents. When you are playing a straight game you get a 'feeling' of what they're up to and how they are playing which I find more difficult to gauge when there's a break in between.

Originally posted by BeOneOptica
Hi All,

I've been playing chess all my life but have always played on a board whether it was in a club or just with friends. I had always stayed away from screen chess (as I call it....don't know what it's really called) as I prefer the physical game but did dabble in msn zone chess years ago but never really got into it.

However, I have recently ...[text shortened]... re challenging than sitting down with a board and playing till mate.

Cheers

James

"Analyze Board" is your friend. As is thoroughly checking every move you make (the advantage of "screen chess" over OTB)

That and never make a move if tired or drunk, especially if both 🙂

When a game leaves book and i feel the need to analyse more deeply,I paste the pgn into chessbase (CB holds multiple variations,analyses board here does not) and add notes about my plans/ideas and what I think my opponent is up to.

Then I save it into a db called 'active analyses' for future reference and add as the game progresses.
When a game finishes I transfer it to a db called 'archived analyses' for reviewing if I so desire.

Don't know about moods.I try to play what I judge is needed rather than what I'd like to(which would always be 'attack the king'😉.

Originally posted by BeOneOptica
Ah yes that's what I do. I think my issue is more the mind set. Mine and my opponents. When you are playing a straight game you get a 'feeling' of what they're up to and how they are playing which I find more difficult to gauge when there's a break in between.

You can leave notes about each game in progress if that helps.

I thought you were asking advice on playing screenchess. Good luck with regular chess.

Originally posted by morgski
"Analyze Board" is your friend. As is thoroughly checking every move you make (the advantage of "screen chess" over OTB)

That and never make a move if tired or drunk, especially if both 🙂

Agree with the morgski's points.

Just a couple of additions, on RHP you do have a notepad where you can make private annotations in each game to jog your memory of what's going on.

Sometimes when faced with a complicated position I analyse once, then leave it for 10-20 mins do my other moves and then come back to it. Quite often I'll see something I missed the first time round.

Thanks for all your replies. Some nice tips there.

I have found the 'Notebook' this afternoon so that's a plus.

@Torten, although what you suggest sounds reasonable I do not want to go down the route of putting the PGN into another program. There's just something about doing that that doesn't seem right. After all, if you were sitting at a board you cannot then start analysing further moves (well you can but only in your head) and, to me, it just seems bordering on cheating. Cheating is maybe too strong a word but gaining an advantage over the opponent. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it and judging by your rating profile you are either very good (which would then eliminate the need for analysing outwith the 'game'😉 or do gain an advantage using off game analysis.

@ketchuplover....I didn't know what to call it. Of course it's regular chess but played on a screen. Although I've just googled ScreenChess and that looks interesting. Something I've never done.

@Velvetears, yes I agree with Morgski's idea and I have since found the Notebook...The last point about being tired and drunk....exactly the way I get caught out when playing on my phone....lying in bed...wondering if there's any moves to make. Decide to have a wee look, play a move, then aww ****... 🙁

Thanks again all.

Originally posted by BeOneOptica
Thanks for all your replies. Some nice tips there.

@Torten, although what you suggest sounds reasonable I do not want to go down the route of putting the PGN into another program. There's just something about doing that that doesn't seem right. After all, if you were sitting at a board you cannot then start analysing further moves (well you can but e need for analysing outwith the 'game'😉 or do gain an advantage using off game analysis.

To be fair all torten is doing is analysing the board with a fancy bit of kit. It's perfectly analogous to playing the game out on a few real boards to keep the various combinations close at hand.

We could all do that, so it's not really gaining an advantage - just because I'm too lazy to do anything like that doesn't mean I can't.

At the end of the day correspondence chess and over the board chess are quite different and it takes a while to get used to the differences.


Good luck on RHP and I hope you get a good few wins under your belt!

Originally posted by BeOneOptica
@Torten, although what you suggest sounds reasonable I do not want to go down the route of putting the PGN into another program. There's just something about doing that that doesn't seem right. After all, if you were sitting at a board you cannot then start analysing further moves (well you can but only in your head) and, to me, it just seems bordering ...[text shortened]... the need for analysing outwith the 'game'😉 or do gain an advantage using off game analysis.

Do you realise we play correspondence chess?Are you familiar with CC rules?

I nearly always use books/database for the opening stage,have used books for the endgame,once or twice to check how to play versus a certain pawn structure and even how to attack a certain castled position (using Joel Johnson's book,reviewed by ragwort on this forum).

If you don't make use of books or analyses board(s) then I most certainly gain an advantage.But all within the rules.

It does get tedious though,not much fun.Therefore I recently decided to only use books/database for the opening.

Sorry Torten, I wasn't dissing your method. I was merely trying to emphasise that your method isn't for me. I thank you for your suggestion and, who knows one day, I may be convinced.

Originally posted by BeOneOptica
Sorry Torten, I wasn't dissing your method. I was merely trying to emphasise that your method isn't for me. I thank you for your suggestion and, who knows one day, I may be convinced.

Well just keep in mind it isn't an advantage the other guy isn't using. This is CC chess, as long as you are not using an engine or asking others for help you can even use chess books.

Also, before computers they played this CC chess through the mail. You could set the position up on a board and tinker with the pieces all you liked, and use any chess literature and past games of yours or anyone elses as 'study aids'.

You've asked for tips on 'screen chess'. If you're going to ignore this advice all that can be said is 'don't screw up'.

P-