I would say one thing the new rule does is provide clarity. Before this year, there was no hard rule about freeze-at-end, though some might read the “should” language of 16B in the 5th Edition as “pro-freeze.”
In practice there was no standard. Now there is a standard. I think that is progress, though I could argue either side of the debate over whether freeze-at-end violates USCF standards of non-intervention and players-only call flags.
Good point about FIDE-rated events in the USA, starting in July. Will be interesting to see how that plays out, in a few different ways—but I do not hold my breath waiting to see a player protest the use of an organizer-provided DGT clock, especially in a 30-second increment game.
That level of geekiness is reserved for folks who like to watch Web-casts of the Rules Workshop at the U.S. Open. We are weird…
From the little we’ve interacted, I know you’re fastidious about these things. I also know that if anyone’s going to find the unintended consequence in a rule (or interaction of rules), it’s Smythe.
Perhaps this rule needs to be accompanied by a “TD Tip” or other clarification laying out exactly how this new rule interacts with other rules for different kinds of clocks.
Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks is that it’s virtually impossible to know what setting will have what result except by extensive trial and error. Someone should put together a guide describing the effects of the different Chronos beep settings. Heck, I’ll do it myself if someone will lend me one of those electronic doohickeys that measure the pitch of a tone in hertz.
One of you experienced, high-level TDs and rules mavens who still plays and directs actively and feels strongly about this stuff should start a thread on clock standards. Could be much fun. Don’t make me do it myself, from way out here in Hooterville.
Bottom line is there is no clear right or wrong in re halt-at-end. Reasonable folks can differ. I think it’s good to have a standard, either way. That avoids the situation Harold described: two games on adjacent boards, played with the same model clock, end with different results based on how the clock is set.
Granted that does not happen often; granted also that most players do not study such rules arcania. Still, it is good to have a standard. As Arthur says in Camelot:
There are many differences between USCF and FIDE rules. A few years ago FIDE said an upside down rook is illegal. The USCF recommends it. As there is no attempt to deceive by placing it on the board as a second queen, I don’t see why this is a problem or why FIDE even needs to make an issue of it. This is one of many FIDE only rules that seem to take some of the fun out of chess.
As for the rules, I’ll be polite and won’t use the adjective quoted above for the “wonderful” idea that rewards ignorance.
By the way, I right readily admit to Being a Bear of Very Little Brain (and Long Words bother me), but I can not find a clear statement in the FIDE Laws of Chess that “halt on end” is required behavior of a clock.
By no means do I intend to speak for Carol Jarecki, but if my poor memory serves correctly, she has stated in Rules Committee discussion that the FIDE rules do not require (allow?) “halt on end.” Section C.02.5.1 of the FIDE handbook (Requirements for electronic chess clocks) makes no mention I can find of “halt on end.” C.02.5.1(i) does state “In case of accumulative or delay timing systems, the clock should not add any additional time if a player passed the last time control.” I do not read this as “halt on end,” however. (This is the same language as appears in Section C.06.7(c)( 8 ) of the handbook.)
On the other hand, the DGT 2010 (which has been tested and granted FIDE certification) does implement “halt on end,” but only for increment time controls.
I don’t think a setting of 1000 on the Chronos corresponds to 1000 hertz. I don’t think there’s a proportionality constant (“fudge factor”) either. So trial and error is probably necessary. Should be able to find the ideal tone after 6 or 8 tries.
Besides, you don’t need an electronic doohickey. All you need is a piano (or other keyboard instrument). Or perfect pitch. A above middle C is 440 hertz. Every octave up doubles the hertz, every octave below halves the hertz. Each semitone up multiplies by the twelfth root of 2 (about 1.059).
That is not necessarily true with analog clocks. I’ve seen players (scholastic tournament, primary section, weaker board in the latter half of the event) go overtime with both players thinking that the “flagged” player still had 50 minutes to go with his stronger position while the other player was playing quickly enough that her last 8 minutes were likely to allow the game to go another half hour or more.