Hi, I started a chess club at my school and am planning a tournament for late November.
The problem is: we have no clocks nor do I think anyone that would join the tournament would have clocks.
How can I set time limits so we don’t have games that last way too long?
This is the first tournament, it’s only for the students of my school (if it goes well I’ll try another with anyone from around the area), and I’d expect around 30-40 people signing up for the event.
Any information or ideas about what I can do, even if it isn’t time-related would be appreciated.
What you could do is have a few clocks at the tournament. Say it is a G/30 event, and there is only 10 minutes left before the end of the round, place a clock showing G/5 on both clocks. It is not nice or great, or in that matter acceptable for a USCF tournament.
What it looks to be is a in house tournament and not a USCF tournament. Have never done this as a USCF tournament, but have done this in a non-USCF scholastic tournament. Did not like the idea, then again was not the organizer. You should not have that many games needing to use a chess clock.
If you can get hold of 1 or 2 clocks, you can use them on games that don’t look like they’re progressing.
I usually bring 3 or 4 clocks when I direct. I prefer to give players at least 10 minutes apiece when I put a clock on a game, but sometimes I have to give them less time than that.
Assuming you don’t have any clocks at all, your best option is probably to adjudicate games. For example, if the time control is game/30, after 60 minutes the TD decides who wins or if it is a draw.
You can use a variation of the Kashdan system on this. You ask each player (separately, of course) if they’re playing for a win or a draw. If they both say draw, the game is a draw. Otherwise, you decide who has the better position and award a win or a draw as best you can. You can also ask the player who you think has only a slightly better game what his strategy will be to win. If he hasn’t got one, that might give you more reason to call it a draw. (Note: Being ahead on ‘points’ doesn’t always mean winning the game.)
As long as you let everyone know up front what you’re going to do to keep on schedule, most people should be OK with that.
It is not unacceptable to USCF rules to place a clock on a rated game that didn’t start with one. It’s done all the time, including in USCF National scholastics.
Do know a number of directors, will never use a clock for a rated USCF tournament. In my “personal standards it is not acceptable” not the federations. The reason for having the chess clock back in the 19th century: it would force the player to move.
Say you have a G/60 tournament without any chess clocks, on board 15 the moves are as this 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 … , the game is still in the opening and it is all book – is it a win for white or black or a draw? Say whites rating is 1500 USCF and blacks rating is 900 USCF, can you tell white the game is a draw because black could not make more moves in a G/60 event.
Having a chess clock pre-dates the birth of the federation; it even pre-dates the birth of the majority of the membership at the birth of the federation. Having a chess clock at a tournament was not the norm till the 1880’s, even before then only the international players used a chess clock or the players with a higher social class used one.
If the federation starts to drop having chess clocks at the nationals, then we will soon be back to the high dark age chess rules of the 10th and 11th centuries.