There is a TD Tip in the US Chess rulebook after rule 14H2 that reads:
“TD TIP: Except for rule 5F5 there is no rule allowing players to ask for a properly set delay clock to be placed on their game, which would replace an analog clock or an improperly set delay or increment clock. Only the TD can initiate placing a clock with time delay capabilities on a game after a Variation 14H claim has been made and the steps of 14H2 have been applied. As a result, the player wishing to place a time delay clock on the game must first make a Variation 14H claim.”
Shouldn’t the portion that says “an improperly set delay or increment clock” be deleted due to the following rule that was added a few years ago:
"16P1. Delay or increment not set.
If a delay- or increment-capable clock is used at an event with a delay or increment time control and the delay or
increment is not set, this is handled in the same fashion as an erroneously set clock. The delay or increment should
be set for the remainder of the game. The director should use his or her best judgement when determining the clock
settings."
In addition to deleting the wording “an improperly set delay or increment clock” I think it would be good to add “a non-delay capable digital clock.” after “Except for rule 5F5 there is no rule allowing players to ask for a properly set delay clock to be placed on their game, which would replace an analog clock or”
I don’t disagree, but suggesting changes in this area of the rules is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The whole area needs to be updated to align more closely with FIDE rules anyway.
Bill Smythe
What area of the rules are you referring to here Bill and what do you think needs to be updated?
I read the TD Tip as saying that a player may not request a new clock be placed at the board. If the current clock at the board is not properly set, they can still request that it be properly set or delay/increment be added/changed (provided the clock has the capability). If the clock at the board functions properly, rarely have I changed it out from a game in progress.
Perhaps “analog clock” should be replaced everywhere with “non-delay-/increment-clock”. In my mind it really is just a subset of these types of clocks.
According to your original post, the problem lies with a TD Tip in rule 14H2. Since the entire rule 14H has been largely discarded (unless announced otherwise ahead of time), it does look to me a lot like re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
I do like one feature of the current rule:
This is wa-a-a-a-ay better than saddling the TD with some specific rules regarding specific sub-situations, which could tie the TD’s hands when a situation comes up that was not anticipated by those who had written the rule.
The idea of giving the TD wide discretion should be applied to the entire rule. A lot of things could cause a TD to rule one way in one case and another way in another case – for example, which player furnished the clock, or did the organizer furnish it? How much time trouble are the players in? Can the player who wants a new clock furnish one that can be set to the announced controls for the tournament? How likely is it that incorrect settings were deliberately chosen by the player who furnished the clock? etc etc etc.
It should never be automatically forbidden, on a blanket basis, for a player to ask for a replacement clock. Neither should it be automatically required that the TD honor the player’s request. Nor should it be either automatically required nor automatically prohibited for the TD to penalize the player making the request. ALL of these things should be at the TD’s discretion.
Bill Smythe