Twice, in the last month I have seen players using digital chess clock applications on smart cell phones. I was told they cost anything from free to $4. The touch screens were well lighted and easy to see. Thus far I only saw one time period apps - but more than likely two and three period apps are just down the road.
Two questions: First, does the USCF have any position about allowing or not allowing such at chess tournaments aside from the obvious that the cell phone must be off or silenced??
Second, now that almost everyone has a cell phone, will the low cost of such smart phone apps doom costly digital chess clocks (the least expensive are about $40 and the most expensive about $110) to extinction? My personal crystal ball is cloudy on this.
I have the “chessclock” app by Aardustry ($0.99) and it works well – USCF Delay, Bronstein, and Fischer (Increment). I’ve also downloaded “Chess Clock Pro Free” by genichi kataoka but not tested it. kataoka’s write-up suggests that the pay version will support multiple time controls.
(Update: the kataoka app is terrible, if free can be terrible. It’s an analog clock on a Mac OS. One time control, no delay or increment options, and a jacked up interface.)
There is no official position…the governing bodies that be aren’t fast enough to keep up with the innovation (that’s not a slam, it just hasn’t come up before). We’re not talking about just cell phones – we’re also discussing other devices such as PDAs and the Apple Touch.
The problem lies in the ability to receive a call, text, or web during the game, which would presumably interrupt the clock app. The solution is to set the device to airplane mode – allows apps to run and blocks incoming transmissions.
Considerations:
Best to cover your intention with the TD before using the device (i.e. that it’s in airplane mode, only app running is the clock, etc.). With no official position, (s)he has the discretion to disallow your device as a clock.
All clock rules now apply to that device when the game is started.
Will your device battery last long enough? If not, best to use an actual clock.
Finally, if you’re the device owner, do you really want to subject your phone to the potential clock banging near the end of the game?
Not a chance, IMO. You’ll find little trust in devices that aren’t a dedicated chess clock or a Mon Roi.