I had no idea until I read Tim Just’s online article “Little Used Clock Strategies”. Has anyone every done a claim based on this? Has anyone ever seen someone use the “dirty trick” referenced below?
[i]Use the same hand for your clock and pieces; the chances of a claim then decreases.
Did you know that players must use the same hand to press both the clock and to move pieces?
Watch out for players who use one hand to move the pieces and the other hand to press the clock. Why? The hand pressing the clock is sometimes used for the dirty trick of pressing the clock before the other hand completes the piece move. If you have an opponent who does not use the same hand to both move pieces and press the clock, pause your clock and see a TD.[/i]
I’ve had players complain about opponents playing with the other hand. I’ve seen it many times and had relatively few complaints. It appears that relatively few players understand the rules.
Back when I was living in the Chicago area (1967-1977), there was a player who was notorious for not only leaving one hand on the clock, but holding the button down, especially in 5 minute games. As I recall, he was banned from the Chicago Chess Club at one point.
Yes. It’s interesting that so many players seem not actually to have read the rules. If you’re going to play in tournaments, then you really ought to sit down and do this.
As for keeping one’s hand on the clock to keep the opponent from starting his, this won’t work with a Chronos, either button or touch sensor. The buttons are totally independent.
