Improvements to 5C-Ratable time controls

Running Chess Tournaments
1

There are several improvements that I think would improve 5C in the rulebook.

  1. Add the office interpretation that if the delay or increment is not in force from move 1, calculating total playing time to determine what rating system(s) a time control will be rated in is calculated as if the delay or increment was in force from move 1.

  2. Add that Blitz must use a single, sudden death time control (5C mentions quick chess must use a single, sudden death time control)

  3. Add that both players must start the game with the same time (i.e. no time odds games, which have been submitted for rating in the past)

4.A lot of the first 3 paragraphs on page 11 repeat what was just said on page 9. Delete the redundant info. from the first 3 paragraphs of page 11 and move the other info. to page 9.

2

How many games with multiple time controls would be affected by this?

3

Not too many, I would hope. The use of different increment or delay settings for different controls should be strongly discouraged. Nevertheless, IMHO Micah’s suggestion here is a good one.

Bill Smythe

4

I’m sorry. I see 1 and 2 as being utterly pointless. I can’t imagine anyone anywhere running a tournament for which #1 matters. (30/30;d0 followed by SD/31;d5 is about the only time control where that would apply). Why clutter up the rule book with something that’s more of a Sam Loyd puzzle for how you could even construct a TC to which it would apply? Just because Micah has idle curiosity about how the office would handle cases that never come up doesn’t mean the rest of us need a fatter rulebook to accommodate that. And, of course, has anyone anywhere thought about running a two time-control blitz tournament? How would you even claim that your opponent overstepped the first TC in a 25/5,SD/5 without a scoresheet?