Tournament Details to Watch Out For
When playing an actual tournaments there are several things we have to watch particularly on screen. Besides the moves of the opponent and our own situation and strategy we also have to glance now and then the following details of a tournament game online.
First, keep an eye on the clock. To win we must have more time left than the opponent. If we do, then relax. If we don't, hurry up a bit with our moves. Watch also the maximum span of time we can have before making our move. Sometimes, we have to glance at what the main tournament is of which the game we're playing is a part of.
We also have to check the status of the games we're playing—whether it is running or on-going, finished or done, or paused. Paused is when a player decides to take a leave and won't return till after a few hours or days.
When we leave the game for a while and then come back, before we do anything we must check whose turn it is. There is an indicator on screen of who made the last move. Or, we can check the notated record of the game and see who made the last move. If we're playing the game a move per day we should check the date and time of the last move made on the online board.
In most tournaments we have to enter our move in fields. Moves are entered through notations or by simply clicking the piece moved with the mouse. Of course, to make everything simple, we do it with our mouse.
If we think the game is going nowhere because of insufficient pieces available on board for a checkmate we can offer the opponent a draw when it's our time to move. This way we can end the tournament game online and proceed to new games—and enjoy more games. A draw won't hurt our record and reputation online.
Remember that moves made online are final moves. We cannot renege on them. So watch out what moves we make. Think first before making them. For a tip on this, it is best to preview the situation before and after we make a move. A good preview of a situation before a move is to do an imaginary move and see what possibilities can happen after such move.
A tournament game online should be carefully played. We must make sure to keep an eye on important details.
