"Rules ADM: Modify rule 5 (The Chess Clock)"

Running Chess Tournaments
1

I have long been unhappy with the state of affairs represented by rules 5, 16, and 42. Writing quite frankly, with no disrespect meant toward those who have worked on these rules before, I just shake my head at how information is distributed among these three rules.

So, I will propose a fairly substantial ADM to address this. I think rule 16 is not in bad shape, so I will likely leave that one alone.

I will propose replacing both rules 5E and 5F with the following:

5E. Standard timer.

5E1. Standard timer for increment time controls. An increment time control consists of a base time in which a specified number of moves, all moves, or all remaining moves must be made and an increment time. The increment time is added to the player’s time on the clock before each move. (In practice, an increment clock typically adds the increment time when the player presses the clock.) An increment capable clock is the standard timer for use with an increment time control.

TD TIP: The standard increment time is thirty seconds.

5E1a. Increment capable clock not available. If an increment capable clock is not available, one of the following clocks, listed in order of preference from most to least preferred, may be used:

  1. A delay capable clock whose delay can be set for the increment time.
  2. A delay capable clock whose delay can not be set for the increment time.
  3. A digital clock that is not delay capable.
  4. An analog clock.

5E1b. Setting a non-increment capable clock for use with an increment time control. In all cases, each player starts with the clock set for the base time. If the clock is delay capable and the delay can be set the same as the increment time, the clock should be so configured. Otherwise, if the clock is delay capable, set the delay time to the maximum possible value. If the clock is not delay capable, the clock is set to the base time.

5E1b1. Variation. The organizer may specify a different time control to be used with clocks that are capable of neither increment nor delay. This must be specified in all pre-tournament publicity.

5E2. Standard timer for delay time controls. A delay time control consists of a base time time in which a specified number of moves, all moves, or all remaining moves must be made and a delay time. On each move, after the player’s clock is started, the player’s remaining time will not be decreased until the delay time has elapsed. If the player moves and presses the clock before the delay time has fully elapsed, the player’s remaining time is unchanged.

Some clocks implement Bronstein mode, which is an alternative to delay mode. In Bronstein mode, the delay time is added to the player’s remaining time at the beginning of the move. The clock then begins deducting time from the player immediately. If the player presses the clock before the full delay time has elapsed, the clock will add only the used time to the player’s remaining time, not the full delay time. Thus, a Bronstein mode clock always shows the total time a player has available to make his move. Bronstein mode is fully equivalent to delay mode, and both are equally acceptable for use with a delay time control.

5E2a. Delay capable clock not available. If a delay capable (or Bronstein capable) clock is not available, a digital clock that is not delay capable may be used. If a digital clock is not available, an analog clock may be used. In all cases, the clock is set so that each player starts with the base time.

5E2a1. Variation. The organizer may specify a different time control to be used with clocks that are not delay capable. This must be specified in all pre-tournament publicity.

5E3. Standard timer for time controls with neither delay nor increment. The standard timer for a time control with neither delay nor increment is a digital clock. If a digital clock is not available, an analog clock may be used.

5E4. Digital clock preferred over analog clock. In all cases, a digital clock is preferred over an analog clock.

TD TIP: A digital clock operates silently. It can be set so that both players have exactly the same amount of time. Digital clocks time the game more precisely and are not subject to having the two sides of the clock run at different rates.

5E5. Replacement of non-standard timer in increment and delay time controls. If either player arrives late for the start of the game, and a clock without delay or increment has already been started the player has the right to furnish and substitute a properly set delay or increment capable clock prior to the determination of black’s first move. The player substituting the delay or increment capable clock must also transfer the elapsed times shown on the original clock to the replacement clock without any additional adjustments (except to correct any errors in the display of the elapsed time).

(End of proposed replacement for rules 5E and 5F)

This change to rules 5E and 5F would render portions of 42C, 42D, and 42E redundant. Although rule 42 is in the chapter that is concerned with equipment standards, it feels unnatural to me to specify standard timers and how to set non-standard timers in rule 5 but to discuss order of preference of non-standard timers in rule 42. I’d like to see where the discussion of this proposed change goes first before tackling rule 42.

2

I think there is some interesting weirdness in both rules 5 and 42. Both rules refer to “sudden death” time controls where I think it is more logical to refer to “delay time controls.” To me, it almost feels like there is an assumed equivalency “sudden death means delay, non-sudden death means no delay.”

3

Excellent ADM Ken!

A few minor things:

  1. A lot of people on this forum have said we shouldn’t state “standards” for delay and increment anymore so maybe the TD Tip should just say that 30 seconds is a popular amount of increment for regular chess (and 10 inc for quick, 2 for Blitz inc, d5 and d10 for regular chess, d3 for quick, d0 for blitz). Perhaps this TD Tip would be better located in 5C.

  2. I think the parts of 5E and 5F that recommend having the delay or increment in force from move 1 should be kept but perhaps are better located in 5C.

4

My sentiments exactly. These three rules have been a mess for years, with parallel (sometimes even conflicting) information appearing in three different places. Plus, various revisions over the years have had a tacked-on appearance, with far too much reluctance to rearrange the paragraphs and modernize the language.

Your proposal is extremely well thought out. I particularly like the following features:

  • Portions of rule 42 have been moved to rule 5, where they should have been all along.
  • Increment is discussed before delay. This is the wave of the future, and USCF should embrace it. At the same time, nothing in the proposed rules pressures organizers to specify increment over delay, nor vice versa.
  • The organizer’s right to specify the lack of increment / delay is presented as the third option, in accordance with modern practice.
  • The discussion of how to use a delay clock in an increment event (if no increment clock is available) is excellent. Also good is the complete lack of any discussion of the reverse procedure, i.e. using an increment clock in a delay event. (This latter procedure should never even be considered.)
  • The discussion of using a clock with neither increment nor delay in an increment or delay event is appropriate as well. The suggestion not to add main time to compensate for the lack of increment / delay is exactly as it should be.
  • Regarding the above point, the organizer is allowed to post a variation, but no specific variation is recommended. I especially like the removal of the long-standing but atrocious suggestion to add 1 full minute for each second.
  • The preference for digital over analog, even with d0, is a great idea. The real point is seconds-precision, not digital vs analog per se. You should always be able to see exactly how many seconds you have remaining, at least when the main time goes below 5 minutes.
  • It’s a good idea to discuss one rule (rule 5) at a time. Eventually it would be appropriate to also bring in rules 16 and 42, but first-things-first will organize the discussion better.

Of course, I also have a few nits to pick. But for now I’d rather try to help you convince everybody that your proposed overhaul is superb, and long overdue.

Bill Smythe

5

There are also cases when the clock only has a delay capability greater than the one for that tournament (and though unlikely that could happen with increment also). For example, I have some clocks that can have no delay or a delay of 5 seconds which I allow players to borrow who don’t have their own clocks. For a Game/15d3, I set them as Game/13d5.

6

I would find this easier to read if you italicize the two phrases below (and the same in the delay time definition). Either that or say just “a base time and an increment time” and then have a separate sentence to define base time as you do with increment time. (As written you have this rather long definition of base time and then suddenly just “and an increment time”.)

An increment time control consists of a base time in which a specified number of moves, all moves, or all remaining moves must be made and an increment time.

7

The current rule 5F2 actually states that the standard increment is 30 seconds. I’ve just taken that sentence and made it a TD tip.

I think you make a good point about having delay or increment in force starting with the first move of the game. Instead of 5C, which describes how to determine the rating system for a given time control, I think it belongs in 5B1.

8

Which clocks can only be set for no delay or five second delay?

9

Thanks, that’s a very good suggestion.

I’m having second thoughts about putting these explanations in 5E. I included them in my revision because I wanted to be able to refer to the terms “base time,” “delay time,” and “increment time” in my revised rule. However, I’m concerned I’m duplicating information in 5B1 (which sort of defines delay and increment, but not explicitly). I may end up taking a whack at 5B as well.

10

The old Precision clocks are the first to come to mind.

11

There are valid reasons for having increment not in effect for fixed moves/time time controls (any errors in clock presses make it very difficult to determine if someone has actually flagged). This doesn’t apply to delay since delay doesn’t increase the base time.

12

Here is an idea for rewording the definition of “increment time control”:

An increment time control consists of a base time and an increment time. The base time is the time allocated to the player at the start of the time control. The increment time is added to the player’s remaining time on the clock before each move. (In practice, an increment clock typically adds the increment time when the player presses the clock.)

(I’m preparing a rewrite of rule 5B, and my definitions of delay and increment will move there.)

13

This is true; not to mention that’s how it works in world championship matches and qualifying events. For top-tier events, with top-tier TDs setting a limited number of clocks supplied by the organizers, OK.

However, for USCF-rated play, I think the potential for confusion is much greater if players are asked to set clocks so that increment only applies to the ultimate control in multi-control events. Setting the standard as increment or delay from move one, unless otherwise announced and explained, makes sense.

Would be fun to see what happens if the USATE or US Open next year uses increment but only in the final part of the time control.

14

Here is a proposed rewrite of rule 5B:

5B. Sudden death time controls. A sudden death time control is a time control in which each player must finish the game within the specified time. If there is a single time control, it is specified as “G/” followed by the number of minutes in the control. If there are multiple time controls, the final control is specified as “SD/” followed by the number of minutes in the control. Multiple time controls with a sudden death time control for the end of the game are referred to as “mixed time controls.”

TD TIP: For example, “G/45” indicates that each player has 45 minutes in which to make all the moves of the game. “40/120 SD/60” is a mixed time control indicates that each player has two hours (120 minutes) in which to make the first 40 moves. Then, each player has an additional hour (60 minutes) added to the time remaining from the first time control in which to complete the game. (Note that these are incompletely specified time controls; see rule 5B1d.)

5B1. Increment and delay time controls. A game played with a sudden death or mixed time control may include either increment or delay.

5B1a. Increment time controls. An increment time control consists of a base time and an increment time. The base time is the time allocated to the player at the start of the time control. The increment time is added to the player’s remaining time on the clock before each move. (In practice, an increment clock typically adds the increment time when the player presses the clock.) The increment time is indicated by “inc/” followed by the increment time in seconds. Alternatively, the increment time may be indicated by a plus sign (“+”) followed by the number of seconds to emphasize the increment time is added at every move.

TD TIP: For example, “G/90 inc/30” or “G/90 +30” indicates that each player starts the game with 90 minutes on the clock. Before each move, an additional 30 seconds is added to the player’s time.

5B1b. Delay time controls. A delay time control consists of a base time and a delay time. On each move, after the player’s clock is started, a delay mode clock will not begin decreasing the player’s remaining time until the delay time has elapsed. If the player moves and presses the clock before the delay time has fully elapsed, the player’s remaining time is unchanged and the unused delay time is ignored.

Some clocks implement Bronstein mode, which is an alternative to delay mode. In Bronstein mode, the delay time is added to the player’s remaining time at the beginning of the move. The clock then begins deducting time from the player immediately. If the player presses the clock before the full delay time has elapsed, the clock will add only the used time to the player’s remaining time, not the full delay time. Thus, a Bronstein mode clock always shows the total time a player has available to make his move. Bronstein mode is fully equivalent to delay mode, and both are equally acceptable for use with a delay time control. Clocks implementing delay mode and clocks implementing Bronstein mode are both referred to as “delay capable clocks.”
For a delay time control, the delay is indicated by “d/” followed by the delay time in seconds.

TD TIP: For example, “G/60 d/5” indicates that each player starts the game with 60 minutes on the clock. The player has five seconds of delay for each move before the player’s remaining time starts to decrease.

TD TIP: A fundamental difference between increment and delay is that with increment, a player may have more time on his clock after moving and pressing the clock than the player had at the beginning of the move. With delay, a player will never have more time on his clock after pressing the clock than at the beginning of the move (unless the next time control has been reached and the clock has added the base time for the next control).

5B1c. Increment or delay and mixed time controls. If a mixed time control includes increment or delay, the increment or delay should apply starting with the first move of the game, and the increment or delay time should be the same for all time controls in the game.

TD TIP: Organizers are very strongly encouraged to follow rule 5B1c. Some clocks can not be set for different delay or increment times in different time controls, and it is likely players wll not know how to set their clocks for differing increment or delay times or to enable increment or delay in some but not all time controls of the game.

5B1d. No delay or increment. If no delay or increment is to be used for the time control, the time control specification must include “d/0” to indicate no delay or increment.

TD TIP: For example, the correct way to write the time controls in the TD TIP following rule 5B would be “G/45 d/0” and “40/120 SD/60 d/0”.

5B2. Time controls specified fully in advance publicity. In all advance publicity which specifies the time control for the event, the organizer is to indicate the full time control, including the delay or increment, as minutes (mm) and seconds (ss), e.g. G/90 inc/30 (or +30); G/30 d/5; G/10 d/3; G/5 d/0. The time control must be specified in Tournament Life Announcements and should be specified in other publicity such as flyer mailings, email, and on web sites. It is acceptable for abbreviated publicity to refer the reader to more complete tournament details posted elsewhere.

(End of revision to rule 5B)

I have intentionally omitted references to “standard” delay and increment. The current rule 5F2a states that the standard increment is 30 seconds. The current rule 5F (according to the rule changes document) states “The standard delay is five seconds per move. For Quick Chess the standard delay is three seconds, and for Blitz Chess two seconds.”

I have issues with this. First, the delay or increment time is included in the determination of whether the game is classified as regular, quick, or blitz, so the definition of standard delay is circular. Second, the current rule 5B2 already states that the organizer must specify the increment or delay fully.

With the definitions of increment and delay moved to rule 5B, I will change my proposed 5E1 and 5E2 accordingly:

5E1. Standard timer for increment time controls. An increment capable clock is the standard timer for use with an increment time control.

5E2. Standard timer for delay time controls. A delay capable clock is the standard timer for use with a delay time control.

15

The instruction sheet says Chess Timer+. When purchased from mychessstore.com in November 2007 they were listed as Bonus Chess Timer.

16

My plans for the rest of rule 5:

I am not planning any changes to rules 5A, 5C, 5D, or 5G (although the notion of “flag” appears dated when discussing digital clocks). I think 5H and 5I more properly belong in rule 16 (Use of the Chess Clock). 5J really isn’t a rule; it’s just telling the reader there’s another rule that discusses clocks. I will propose replacing 5J with “See also 16, Use of the Chess Clock” with no rule number. It would just be a one sentence paragraph at the end of rule 5.

17

Ken, Rule 5 is a mess, and I appreciate your willingness to pursue a comprehensive rewrite. Nothing I will say now or later in this thread indicates a diminishment of that appreciation or the need for a rewrite.

That said, I’d feel a lot better about the elimination of standard delays if I had a persuasive answer to this question:

What happens when (not if, but when) an organizer fails to comply with Rule 5B2?

18

I don’t have a good answer, and I am well aware it happens.

I strongly oppose the use of the word “standard” in the phrase “standard delay.” If we are going to have a rule specifying the delay to be applied if the organizer does not comply with rule 5B2, I would greatly prefer the phrase “assumed delay.” I also don’t want to introduce a rule that excuses organizers from complying with rule 5B2.

If there is to be a rule specifying assumed delay time, I think it should not be based on regular/quick/blitz, as the increment or delay is part of the determination of whether a time control is regular, quick, or blitz. I can imagine a rule based on the base time, something like:

I suppose an alternative is to assume that the absence of a stated delay or increment (including d/0) means that there is no delay or increment (d/0). That probably won’t go over very well, however.

19

I see a hole. Add the following to my proposed rule 5E:

20

That admission is refreshing compared to arguments I’ve heard from other proponents of eliminating the “standard” delays, and actually makes the rest of your answer quite credible, in my view. Thank you for giving some thought to this.

This is persuasive, and something that probably should have been changed when the current text of Rule 5B2 was adopted. That it wasn’t is one of several artifacts of the Delegates’ ad hoc, piecemeal, activist treatment of this rule, to the extent that a rewrite is required to fix.

This is also persuasive, given the current base time + delay or increment formula for determining regular, dual, quick, or blitz rating. I appreciate your effort at an example, and I may try to refine it. I very much like this approach.

The benefit of the delay formerly known as standard, in my view, is that it codified a payer’s right not to be involuntarily involved in a clock bashing monkey contest due to an organizer’s mistake or unstated, peculiar whims. I would prefer for players not to lose this right, particularly when advertising mistakes continue to happen despite years of concerted education efforts (after months of no such efforts and insufficient initial publicity of the rule change). So yes, I’d like to avoid that alternative, if possible.

Thanks again, Ken. This is a discussion that needs to happen, and I’ll try to have an open mind about it.