Lots of discussion on selecting a clock over the past year as new models come out and older models die off. Shifting away from individual purchases, here is a consideration for TDs, organizers, and championship-hosting affiliates.
All of us can call up our scholastic and club connections and put together consistent and standard boards and pieces if we want. Clocks are a relatively much larger challenge and as tournament attendance scales we never really know what kind of “clock potpourri” we’re going to get. At a US Open I watched Yermo carry one item with him, and that was his own DGT clock. He knew a board and pieces would be available but couldn’t count on a properly set clock easily at hand. Beyond that practicality, maybe you want to take extra steps beyond simply finding a room with some tables and holding a tournament.
What level of interest do you have in a service that rents clocks that are pre-set to your tournament time controls?
Possible influencers to the decision:
Aesthetics – consistent look and feel for the top 10 boards or an entire tournament hall.
Practical – TDs and players only need to understand one clock.
Player Experience – the top players at a championship event have one less distraction from the 64 squares.
Financial Leverage – you want to multiply sponsorship or entry fee dollars and still fulfill any of the above.
Other – sometimes people have their own reasons. What other influencers have I missed?
Drop me a PM and let me know how you would evaluate this type of service.
At the Canadian tournaments I entered, they provided pre-set clocks, sets and boards, scoresheets, and pens or pencils to use. Players did not have to bring anything extra to the venue. Would that work in big US tournaments, or would the players abuse the privilege and steal the equipment? You are going to have to have insurance for theft and damage.
All good points. Similar to other rentals in our life it’s OK to decline the insurance…but that means replacement cost is on the user not the service provider. That’s why I ask and do research. If there is less than a tepid interest then it’s clearly not worth the time and effort to create a customer-oriented way to handle all of this.
One thing that could happen would be to require a deposit that is greater than the cost of the clock, when renting it out. Sometimes the deposit can be something like a driver’s license. I can envision a case holding clocks where the thing of great value is put in the slot or spot of the clock being rented. When the clock is returned the deposit is given back to the person. The clock would obviously be rented to an individual that would keep the clock in his possession during the entire time of the tournament.
In the above we are talking about a tournament that the players provide their playing equipment. If a person needs to rent a clock, they very well might also need to rent a set and board. I know that at our local tournaments the players all pretty much bring their own equipment so the market for renting here is small.
Of course if the TD or organizer is providing sets, boards and clocks they will all be at the tables and should not leave that table. I don’t see this as a clock rental situation though.
Organizers who want a consistent experience for their players are the target market if there is any market at all.
Renting to individuals is intriguing idea, although not very viable for anything but the largest tournaments. People know each other in State events and smaller…it’s very simple to borrow clocks.
I have heard that phrase, “clocks have legs,” used a number of times over the years by organizers, TDs, and players who had graciously provided clocks and had their personal items disappear. I remember analyzing once with an IM at the World Open in Philadelphia. While we looking at a game, someone went under the table and stole his chess bag which had his clock, wooden pieces, and most valuably, his chess notes. He was sad but not shocked that this happened. He told us that he once took a cab from Philly to NYC. He did not want to go to the bus station to wait and catch a late bus because he was “afraid that they would not find my bones in the morning.”
If you have a box of 50 clocks, sets, and boards and an organizer who is interested in providing all equipment, you probably could make some arrangement for small or medium size organizers. Approach some scholastic people about this. Often very few kids have clocks at scholastic events. The parents don’t want to buy one until the kid is “serious” about the game. Having an array of sets, boards, and clocks set up in advance in a room looks very professional and makes the organizer look good.
Now of course one of the biggest complaints will come from equipment vendors if you use them for a tournament because selling emergency sets, boards, and clocks are a sizable revenue generator for the event.
The other one is that once people get in the habit of not bringing their equipment to tournaments, what happens to skittles
