Can the USCF rate G/5 tourneys for quick chess ratings and if not what is the fastest time controls they can rate for quick chess? A TD and I were just in a friendly debate and I was just wondering who was correct. Thanks.
The fastest time control would be G/5, around January 2004. If you have time delay on the blitz clock, you could get down to G/3 (t/d 2). The director can take 5 minutes from a 5 second time delay (G/30 or slower); can take 3 minutes from a 3 second time delay (Quick - G/10 - G/29); can take 2 minutes from a 2 second time delay (Blitz - G/5 - G/9). Have mixed feelings with time delay on the Blitz time controls.
Even that the director can take 2 minutes from a 2 second delay. The players would need to make 40 moves (40 moves x 2 seconds = 2 minutes) just to have 5 minutes on the clock. If someone lose the Blitz game on time without making move 40, the person would lose a blitz game with less then 5 minutes on the clock. Would never take 2 minutes from any Blitz game.
Having Blitz games rated, was a rush to get Blitz games rated. The USCF needs to make some formal statement about time delay. As I do not see the G/3 (t/d 2) is ethical.
Quick-rated is defined as G/10 through G/29, possibly with up to 3 minutes deducted in games using a 3-second delay.
Blitz is defined as G/5 through G/9, possibly with up to 2 minutes deducted in games with a 2-second delay.
When the WBCA (World Blitz Chess Association) folded a year or two ago, USCF announced that it would begin rating blitz games as quick-rated. A separate USCF blitz rating system has been discussed, but its implementation is not near the top of anybody’s priority list, and some people don’t like the idea at all, so it may never happen.
Bill Smythe
Since they are being rated as part of the quick system, would all rules for quick chess apply? Like for example the default of 3 seconds delay?
The default for Blitz chess is 2 seconds. The USCF has Blitz Rules on page 290 - 292 of the ‘Official Rules of Chess’.
It’s not clear to me that those rules apply to games rated under the Quick Chess System. I’ve tried to look back at how the USCF has written about this addition, but haven’t been able to find anything conclusive.
It appears to me that the rules would differ depending upon which case applies:
- The Quick Chess Rating was expanded to include both Quick time controls and Blitz time controls. - in which case Blitz rules apply to Blitz.
- Quick time controls were extended to 5-29 minutes. - in which case Quick rules are used for the 5-9 minutes games.
It is important to distinguish between rules and ratings.
For example, game/30 and slower is considered regular, even though up to game/60 it is also rated as quick. The rules for regular apply, though – 5-second delay, score-keeping required, etc.
Likewise, game/5 through game/9 is considered blitz (e.g. 2-second delay by default, but sometimes no delay at all), even though it is rated as quick.
Bill Smythe
Does (or should) the rulebook state that for blitz chess there is NO subtraction of time from the clock when using a delay mode?
Nolan:
The theory for subtraction was designed for quick and classical time controls. Since the 5th edition did not designed blitz for ratable games, subtraction for blitz is not stated for or against subtraction. If subtraction is to follow the precedence of quick and classical time controls, then in theory blitz can be G/3 (t/d 2).
I would prefer an answer from either the rules committee or the author of the rulebook. If this isn’t something in the rulebook, perhaps it should be.
5fa. The tournament director has the right to shorten the basic time controls, up to the number of minutes equal to the time delay used in seconds. Examples: Clocks for G/60 with a 5-second time delay (t/d 5) may be set starting at 55 minutes through 59 minutes instead of 60; G/30 with a 5-second time delay (t/d 5) may be set starting at 25 minutes through 29 minutes and still be rated as G/30; G/10 with a 3-second time delay (t/d 3) may be set starting at 7 minutes through 9 minutes.
There is no requirement to advertise this option in advance. It may also be used for games starting later than the official starting time of any particular round even when not used otherwise.
I think the latest word is that shortening the time control is that it is a non-standard allowable option that should be announced in advance. In other words the default is to use time delay and NOT shorten the original time control.
See secure.uschess.org/tds/clockrules.php
"Some tournaments are run on very tight schedules, and organizers have expressed a concern that the time delay feature may delay the start of subsequent rounds. To accommodate these organizers, USCF has authorized the following option:
"5Fa. The tournament director has the right to shorten the basic time control, in minutes, by the time delay used, in seconds. Examples: clocks for Game/60 with 5-second time delay (t/d5) may be set at 55 minutes instead of 60; Game/30 t/d5 may be set at 25 minutes and still be rated as Game/30. Game/10 with a 3-second time delay (t/d3) may be set starting at 7 minutes through 9 minutes.
“The USCF stresses that shortening the basic time control is an option and should be announced in advance. The default rule is not to shorten the basic time control.”
The other comment is that the USCF has not changed the definition of GAME/5 to be Quick Chess. It is still Blitz chess - even though a blitz chess chess game is now rated in the Quick chess rating system.