Digital Clock Settings

Running Chess Tournaments
1

This might become a somewhat lengthy post, but I’ll try to keep it simple.

The USCF rulebook does not seem to speak to the standardization of digital clock settings. After having read the rules on players calling a flag down with no help from the spectators or the TD, it seems that the spirit of the rules is that a digital clock should show time elapsed and some kind of signal for flag up/down for both sides, but it should not call attention to the flag. Some settings emit a sound if one side flags while others halt both clocks and clearly show which side flagged first. I infer that these settings are not ideal since it seems the rules place the burden on the player to notice a fallen flag and the person who flags first has a glimmer of hope that if the other person flags also without noticing the first flag, no time fortfeit can be claimed. Does anyone else have opinions or citations regarding proper digital clock settings?

A second issue I’ve noticed on my Chronos Digital (black plastic buttons, no separate on/off switch), is that using a move counter has one drawback that could be major. I played in a tournament with the time control 40/2, 20/1, 30/30. While the TD was watching, my (White) opponent’s time went to zero and noticeably stopped before he hit the clock on his 40th move. He began asking the TD, “Did I make it? Did I make it?” With progressive time controls and move counters, the Chronos immediately gave him 1:00:00 hours with absolutely no deduction even though he overstepped the first time control. I was concentrating so much on making my 40th Black move in the next 30 seconds that I didn’t notice the flag, didn’t make a claim, made my 40th move, no forfeit ensued, and I went on to lose the game. The TD told me later that all I had to do was make a claim in the time before my 40th move and he would have ruled a forfeit. I didn’t really mind losing the game since I had really been outplayed, but I later tested my Chronos with move counter progressive controls and found that unless the TD is watching, claiming a win on time when the opponent hits the clock on his 40th move would have been very difficult because the Chronos does not preserve the evidence. Since that time, I’ve switched to setting DN-2 which simply counts down time with no move counter. With this setting in the above scenario, a TD who had not been present during the flag fall would be able to see that with his 40th move completed, my opponent used up 3 seconds of the second time control and should lose on time.

2

We both do have chronos chess clocks. How to set the ‘chronos’ other then the set time controls is up to the owner of the clock. If you are looking more for a flag fall to stop the game you could have the settings at “1 Halt at end”, making the clock stop with one side down and the other up. Myself like the “0 Halt at end”, as the clock that is still up would still run till both clocks show expired time. If you want you can have the clock beep at the end of time, myself do not like: as the clock informs the players of the end of time not the players knowing the end of time. The reason for the no beep at end (or no beeping at all), and the no halt at end – then it is up to the players not the clock to inform the players of the end of time. With this system it becomes just like a analog clock, if both flags are down then the game is a draw.

Would never use the move counter on the ‘chronos’, during the game you or the other player could pressed the clock with a unclean board – the person on move can punch the clock asking for a clean board. One of you could have made a illegal move without asking for the 2 minutes on your clock – most times the other player punch the clock back and say illegal move. It is not the move counter on the clock that wins, if the person did not meet the number of moves – it is always the ‘scoresheet not the move counter’ – that a claim of a win can happen. The move counter on a chronos or any digital clock has zero value: as the move counter could be off half a move or more during a game.

If you do use the chronos the best formats would be under CH - A1, CH-A2, CH - A3, as it does have time delay but the first time control must be less then 99 minutes. If having a time control over 99 minutes,there are a number of nice time delay controls in the chronos system.

3

I think the official position on this is that it is OK for the clock to call attention to a flag fall, but not for a spectator to do so. The rationale is that the clock is neutral and will treat both players equally.

The 4th edition rulebook even went so far as to declare it “highly desirable” for a clock to do both of the things you mention – call attention to a flag fall, and stop both clocks so that it will be obvious which player flagged first. This declaration never caught on with players or TDs, and this language was dropped from the 5th edition. Personally, as both a TD and a player, I prefer that the clock remain silent, and allow the non-flagging side to continue to run.

If the clock showed 1:00:00 after your opponent pressed his clock on move 40, then he HAS overstepped the time limit, and the 1:00:00 display is all the evidence you need to establish this fact. If he had not overstepped, the clock would have showed at least 1:00:01 (just as it would have showed at least 0:00:01 if the same thing had happened at move 39 or earlier).

You should have claimed the win before making your next move. (Making your next move WOULD have destroyed the evidence, but it wasn’t destroyed yet at the crucial moment.)

Having said the above, I will add that there is, however, a potentially tricky element in this situation. Possibly, before the move, the clock was in minutes-seconds mode, since there were fewer than 10 minutes remaining. After the move, it might have switched to hours-minutes mode, since there was now an hour remaining and the clock would need some of the extra space to show the move count. Thus, it would show 1:00, and you might have difficulty proving that this was 1:00:00 rather than 1:00:01 or something larger.

But we Chronos fans have the answer to this one. To reveal the full hh:mm:ss of remaining time, first stop the clock (preferably in the presence of a TD), then go into mid-game adjustment mode. Long-press the center button (once on the newer models, three times on the older) until one of the digits flashes. Short-press the center button repeatedly, until eventually the clock will switch from hh:mm mode to hh:mm:ss mode. For example, if it formerly displayed 40-1:00, after four or five short-presses it will now display 1:00:00 or 1:00:01, and your point will be proved one way or the other. (To resume normal operation, long-press the center button once more.)

But some players may feel uncomfortable with all of this, and some TDs may not understand all the subtleties, so it might not be such a bad idea, as you suggest, to choose a clock mode that does not count moves. (Personally, I think the move-counter ROCKS, but that’s just me.)

Bill Smythe

4

If your Chronos has them, try modes AN-1 (one time control), AN-2 (two controls) or AN-3 (three controls). These modes do not count moves, and are not limited to 99 minutes. They display the delay as a digit, rather than as a flashing hyphen. Under one hour, they display the full mm:ss. Over an hour, they display only hh:mm during the initial 5-second delay, then switch to hh:mm:ss display for the rest of the move. The only drawback is that, once the 5 seconds has counted down to zero, no zero is displayed, even if there would be room for it with the main time under an hour.

Bill Smythe

5

The problem with move counters:

  1. Even if the clock does say the player did not make 40 moves in 40/2, it is the scoresheet not the clock that is final.

  2. During the start of the game black dones not press to start whites clock, making white need to make a move then press the clock. With a move counter, would make the game off by half a move. With the point that white made the first move then press the clock, making the first move not count with the move counter. Making black needing to press the clock, then white would make the first move.

  3. Even if one player does make a illegal move, the other player (has the right but reject the right for the 2 minutes) would not call the director for the 2 minutes to be added to the clock. The player would just pressed the clock and point out the illegal move. With a move counter, it would just add one extra move.

  4. During a rush, one player makes a move: in the process nocking over a number of peices. The other player can push the clock asking for a clean board before making a move. With a move counter, it would just add one extra move.

The players should ask the director to make the change with the move counter. Most players never ask the director to do this duty, they would just play on without asking the director. This is the reason that any director should never use the evidence of the move counter, only the evidence of the scoresheet.

6

I agree with all of your points, but as a player, I still say the move counter ROCKS! There is something comforting in seeing the clock add 1 hour at move 40 (in a 40/120, SD/60 control). Both players then know exactly where they stand.

Even though the move counter alone cannot be used as evidence in making a claim, nevertheless it can be an aid to the TD. If the TD is counting moves (for a possible 50-move claim) after both players have stopped keeping score, he is less likely to lose count if the clock is helping him. Since he is right there watching, he can make mental (or even physical) adjustments in cases involving missed clock presses, illegal moves, etc.

A player who sets his clock to count moves, however, should stay aware of the situation throughout the game, know his clock well, and be able to quickly adjust the move counter in case it becomes inaccurate for any reason.

Bill Smythe

7

If the person use the FIDE modes on the ‘chronos’ clock: the move counter is only used during the first time control. After move 40 on a 40/?, the clock will not show the move counter during the second time control. The DL - C2, DL - C1A, DL-C1B, DL-C2A: only will show the move counter on a ‘chronos’ clock for the first and second time controls, during the third time control the move counter will not show. Only DL - C2B, will show for the whole game the move counter, it also has a time delay.

As a director have zero problems with the mode of the chess clock: if that mode does what it was designed with time controls set for the tournament. Have zero problems if it is time up or time down, show time delay for the whole game or only during time delay is used. Any wish that the owner have the beep off during the tournament.