The high end clocks give users the choice on how to set their clocks for delays. That’s another problem. If there are two viable ways to set the clock, then players might play one round with a clock set with, say, a countdown delay showing the number, and another round where the player set the delay as a blinking colon. That’s another reason why TD’s and tournament organizers shouldn’t be setting players clocks. Although they could post the preferred method. Due to the number of different clocks on the market, most likely, there is no practical way to standardize how the clock is set specifically, other than the clock does adhere to the time controls in some form or fashion.
As far as #3 goes, the US Open had floor TDs whose work started once the round started and thus were available for last minute clock fixing. For #1 and #2 the TDs were identified as being able to handle specific clock models.
Very nice. By forcing a player to wait until after the round starts before you set his clock, you will create a little extra anxiety in him while he waits. Maybe this will encourage him to RTFM before he enters his next tournament.
Bill Smythe
I’m pretty sure he meant the opposite of that, though. The floor TDs at the US Open were available to set clocks before the round started, because they had no other prescribed duties until after the round started (as opposed to a single TD at a standard tournament, who has things to do both before and after the round starts).
Indeed, jwiewel probably regarded the extra TDs as a good thing, but he may well have also seen the delay in starting a few games as a having the silver lining of encouraging players to learn, for future reference, how to set their own clocks.
In their pre-round announcements, did the TD staff ask for a show of hands from players who needed assistance setting their clocks? And then did they say, “OK, I see ten hands, please everybody do not start your clocks yet until we help these ten players”? Or did they say, “OK, the rest of you start your games while we tend to these ten players”? And, in the latter case, wouldn’t the extra TDs be distracted from their “other prescribed duties … after the round started”?
Bill Smythe
They made the announcements about TDs helping people set clocks well before the round started – I don’t remember exactly, but I would guess at least 10-15 minutes before. I don’t remember anything being said about about people waiting (or not waiting) to start their clocks. My impression was that they wanted to get all the clock-setting done before the round started. Only Jeff can say for sure what he meant, but I would guess that I interpreted it correctly in my original statement.
Having been there, Dennis understood what I intended to say.
I meant that the floor TDs had normal TD duties that didn’t start until the round started (as opposed to pairing TDs, TDs making announcements, TDs setting up signs for the top boards, etc.). During those few minutes before the round started they were available for setting clocks.
There were also a number of players that asked other participants to set the players’ clocks for them. I know I did one or two GameTimers even though I was not on staff.
This thread is describing a weird situation – a huge tournament with hundreds or perhaps thousands of participants who don’t know how to set their clocks (and TD’s who don’t know either). How did we get to this point? I hope that it is a temporary phenomenon, and that eventually there will be some kind of consolidation or standardization in the chess clock business so that everybody knows how to set his own clock. (In the olden days, all clocks were analog, and everybody knew how to set them, without having to read the instructions, if there even were instructions.)
I doubt if there were hundreds of players who didn’t know how to set their clocks. After all, the players furnished the clocks, did they not? I’d guess maybe 1 or 2 dozen didn’t know.
Bill Smythe
I agree with Bruce, though, that it’s a weird situation, and it baffles me that the number is anything other than zero. What kind of person buys a clock and takes it to a tournament (intending to use it in that tournament) without knowing how to set it or use it? I wouldn’t even think of doing that. As an “older” person, I sometimes have trouble remembering all the details of how all my clocks operate (I have 5 different digital chess clocks), but a standard part of my pre-tournament preparation is to decide which clock(s) I’m going to take to that tournament, skim through the manual(s) and re-familiarize myself with the details, and then preset the clock(s) to that tournament’s time control, so that all I need to do at the tournament is turn the clock on and I’m ready to go. It boggles my mind that everyone doesn’t do that. Yet, at every tournament (whether I’m directing or playing), I run into people who have no idea how to set their clocks. Why? There’s no excuse for it.
/grumpy old man mode
With some electronics, such as my new ipod, you’re apparently just supposed to learn how to use it by … figuring out how to use it. It doesn’t come with written instructions. Sounds weird, but it apparently works for ipods. (Similar story for my flip phone – it came with instructions, but I lost them.) Perhaps people buy a new clock and expect that they can just figure out how to set it, just like they figured out how to use their phones, their tablets, etc. Maybe chess clocks need to have an interface that enables people to just stumble around and figure out how to set them.
Some electronics have switched to on-line instructions and have dispensed with the paper manuals. On-line may not work well with last minute setting of clocks at a tournament.
There are already some clocks that allow you to step through the various options with a description of what that option is.
10 years from now all (new digital) clocks will be set by voice.
It often happens nowadays.
“TD, please set my clock.”
Powered by Alexa
Just wait until two people on different schedules/different time controls are standing near each other using voice commands. The last one to speak sets both clocks to the same time control. 
The user should be able to assign a name to the clock to use as the trigger word instead of “Alexa.” I will name mine “Murphy.” 
I think a way to manually lock out the voice commands after it’s set would suffice. Maybe someone from Amazon will read this thread. That would totally rock if one could just program is a clock with voice commands. I bet a four year old could set the clock without looking at a manual.
What would be also cool is if it could be programmed from a central Alexa that sitting in the tournament room. Just tell Alexa what the time controls are and have it send out a wifi signal to set all the clocks with the same time controls.
The four year olds already can do that. It’s the geriatrics like me that have the problem.
Bill Smythe
I’ve done a number of small tournaments with a single room and multiple schedules, and a number of tournaments with different sections on ASAP schedules all in the same room. The tournaments I’ve done with different schedules in the same room include US Opens (invitationals using increment schedules at the same time as the traditional schedule, and the first six rounds of the four-day while the 6-day and traditional are going on), National Opens (the beginner section with three 6-round/single-day schedules) and Chicago Opens (a ballroom was lost for part of the day and the 2-day games have to share the main room for a round). Even if there exists a switch on the clock to lock out resets (and everybody in the game is actually using it even if they’ve paused the clock to ask a TD a question), that only handles rounds starting at different times. Rounds starting at the same time of day but using different time controls would require a very focused wi-fi signal and all players having their clocks inside the focus of the signal that applies to them.
If all games in the room have the same time control and the same starting time (such as a scholastic spring national) then it would save time.
There will also be players coming late after the wi-fi signal is sent, but their clocks should have time taken off both sides anyway so requiring them to go to a TD would be okay.