New Player question on how a digital clock is to be setup for a 40/2, SD/1 game at a tournament:
There is to be a 5 second delay per move in both time periods, and 5 minutes are to be taken off the time of the 1st period. So – if the 1st period is set for 1 hour 55 minutes, the second period is set for 1 hour 00 minutes, and the delays are set for 5 seconds per move, what should happen when a player completes his 40 moves? Should his clock continue down to 0 and then automatically be reset to 60 minutes at that point, or perhaps should his remaining time when he completes 40 moves be increased by 60 minutes right then, or what?? Thanks in advance!!
There is no rule that I’m aware of. You can set it either way (assuming your clock allows both). You could ask your tournament director if he wants one of the other, but none of the TDs I’ve played with has cared.
I always set my clock to run down to 0 before adding the time for the second time control, because I don’t trust the move counter (it frequently is inaccurate in my experience). Some people always use the counter (they say it’s almost always accurate). My way is right, of course…
My clock automatically adds the hour once you hit the proper number of moves. As long as everyone hits the clock on every move, the counter will be accurate.
It has its critics, but that’s something the Chronos does very well. There are settings to have the second time control added after a certain number moves, or to have it add the time once one of the player’s time runs out in the first time control. It’s that kind of flexibility that finally made me switch to the Chronos after years of resisting it. I’m still keeping my DGT XL though… it’s good for blitz.
Also, with regards to taking off 5 minutes when using time delay: that usually depends on the TD. I’ve played in tournaments where players were required to take off 5 minutes when using delay and other tournaments where the TD stated that players should NOT take off any time, even when using delay. I suppose the latter is preferable if there is a decent amount of time between rounds.
Whether the clock adds an hour when move 40 is reached, or when the first time period expires, probably depends on the clock brand, and maybe also on the mode you choose. If you set it to count moves, it will probably add the hour at move 40. If you set it not to count moves, it will probably add the hour when the initial 2 hours expires.
I hope no clock will add at move 40 even when it’s not displaying the move count, but I’m not sure. If it did, and the move count became off, the players would have no way of knowing it until something goofy happened a couple of moves before or after the control.
If the clock adds the hour when the first control expires, in all probability the hour will be added to the two sides at different times. For example, if the 2-hour mark arrives for white at move 43, but for black not until move 57 (because black has been moving more quickly), then for 14 moves one clock will be on daylight time while the other is on standard time, so to speak. This could get confusing. Whether each clock is in the first or second time period will probably be indicated in some way, such as by the presence or absence of, or different location of, a flashing hyphen or something.
That’s why I like the move counter, especially in a 2-control event.
As for subtracting 5 minutes in games using the delay, that’s at the option of the organizer or TD, and need not be announced in pre-tournament publicity. The default is not to subtract 5 minutes. In other words, you should not subtract 5 minutes unless you know your TD wants you to.
I’ve used several of the current digital clocks, and am slowly coming around to the view that all the kerfluffle that occurs with programming and using multiple time controls is too annoying and makes things too complicated.
I think the DGT Easy+ has the right idea: All settings can be viewed by looking at the front LCD, and it only does one time control at a time. When move 40 or whatever rolls around, the players (drum roll) reset the time on the clocks to show the proper time for the next time control! What a concept!
There are some faults: The LCD screen has only so-so readability and it’s too easy to reset (reset button is on the front).
That’s a great idea! People who can’t set their clocks correctly for multiple time controls even when they have unlimited time before the game will definitely be able to reset the clocks in the middle of the game while the opponent waits impatiently to get started again. They’re never going to accidently lose the time information or turn the clock off or anything while they’re doing it. No problem!
I do think that a single time-control would be better than what we do now (e.g., G/150 instead of 30/90, SD/60), but for some reason most people seem unhappy about having only one time-scramble per game.
Well, if that’s what you want, you can do it on any digital clock, even those that allow you to set it for multiple controls. All you have to do is lie to the clock, and tell it there is only one control!
That assumes, of course, that the clock allows a mid-game time adjustment to begin with. I would be skeptical whether a clock that does not even permit multiple controls would even have a mid-game adjustment capability.
If the total time control is 2 hours or less, I agree. But I would hate G/150. Sometimes my opponent is a slowpoke who refuses to resign a hopeless position. It’s torture twiddling my thumbs while he takes yet another 30 minutes to give up the ghost.
With the gradual introduction of increment controls (such as G/90, inc/30) there is less point in having multiple controls. Eventually, I think increment controls will become the standard, at least for slower events.
My criteria is that J. Random Chessplayer, not familiar with a particular clock, should be able to do this. Most digital clocks fail this test. The Easy+ comes close. Analog clocks pass. Basically, a digital clock with two knobs (or rocker switches) to set each side, and another for a delay/increment value, along with a delay/increment/none slider switch, would also pass the test.
