Which do you prefer?

[Thunkd]

Over the board by a long-shot. I play differently online and am much more likely to play fast moves without thinking. There is something about holding stones in my hand that makes me play better.

But I'm extremely lucky to have a club near me which meets twice a week and has several very strong players.

[gloche]

face to face in real life by a huge long shot . Online games are just because i cannot play on a board very often

[blue88]

I always feel like I'm being rushed during club games, or that I'm holding everything up. No one has ever complained, but everyone seems to play faster than me.

Oh yes, I didn't play club games for quite some time so I forgot about this. But it bothers me as well. I can't really concentrate when my opponent is apparently getting bored. During online or tournament play I don't care about this, because it is my time that's running down the hourglass and no one can complain.

When I play online I use full screen mode. It makes me feel like sitting in front of a real board but looking at it from a better angle.

[CnP]

Online, 100%. Even small things seem incredibly rude in real games - chatting about the game with other people during the game, comments about your Go set, un-requested advice etc - I can't stand it!

[cdybeijing]

I play both with about equal frequency, and I enjoy both. I am somewhat calmer playing over the board, even though most of my live games are clocked too.

I tend to get annoyed more easily on the internet, and my anxieties about losing are greater, but it's great to be able to play a same-ranked opponent at any time I am free.

My games against stronger players generally occur over the board.

[SpongeBob]

I always feel like I'm being rushed during club games, or that I'm holding everything up. No one has ever complained, but everyone seems to play faster than me.

Oh yes, I didn't play club games for quite some time so I forgot about this. But it bothers me as well. I can't really concentrate when my opponent is apparently getting bored. During online or tournament play I don't care about this, because it is my time that's running down the hourglass and no one can complain.

I might be the guy that is getting bored

This is a problem I have with over-the-board games, I tend to play nearly as fast as I play online and my favorite opponent does have more patience than me. So I am sitting there, realizing that the move I have just put on the board has some drawbacks, while he takes all the time he needs to find a good response.

In online games, the time is distrubuted equally and no one can complain. Also, it is so easy to go over the game afterwards.

So, I like online a lot more.

However, when I am on vacation and really have the patience for a long game - this is nice, too. A game will last around 3 to 4 hours and if you manage to play a good game, this is really satisfying. It is like meditation.

[k1ndofblue]

For sure I like playing in real world settings. The club I go to meets once a week and it is truley something I look forward to every week!

[LovroKlc]

the difference is big. i must say I prefer playing in real life. go is go, but real life go is much better for me.

[BaghwanB]

Real life for me.

For some reason I get antsy playing on-line. I think the physical act of holding stones and placing them help pace me a bit and I know I'm not beholden to time limits. It doesn't really matter if they are 5 minutes or 45 minutes base time; the clock is still ticking and it bugs me at some level.

Bruce "Tick, tock, dead group o'clock" Young

[sixko]

Interesting reading the variety of choices here and the reasons given for them.

Never played an OTB game myself, but from my experience with chess (likely to push some wood tonight at club) I know that OTB is much preferred for this particular gaming geek.

Having played over master games with my physical set, one of the first things I noticed was how the games and positions seemed to be more in focus for me. Real. Maybe it's partly psychological, digging stones out of the bowls placing them on the goban, hearing this, seeing this in its dimensions. The space and furniture I use at home to play or review games places the boards just below knee level and the lighting is very good. Maybe sitting at a table where the goban is at about abdomen level would give me a different take on it but it hasn't been an issue for me with chess (though I have on a few occasions noticed chess players doubling up chairs in such situations).

Again from experience with chess, reviewing a game with an opponent who is sitting across the board moving the pieces around with me hearing the lols and inflections in her/his language just can't compare to online reviews. But then reviewing and certainly recording a chess game is easier then it is with go so I can see the plus for online play there. The comfort and convenience of online play is a real blessing at times, but I can't order a veggie omelet while in the middle of an online game, well maybe I could but it's not a given.

[Monadology]

After getting over the anxiety of playing with strangers online, I actually prefer online play slightly. I think it's the bird's eye view.