If a player in a tournament who isn’t currently playing (a spectator) notices an irregularity with a clock setting, does that player have the right to inform the TD of the situation, or would the spectator be considered interfering?
Do players have an obligation to point out such situations to the TD under sportsmanship rules?
Certainly the spectator has the right, but probably not the obligation, to report the irregularity to the TD, but the spectator would probably not have the automatic right to expect any response from the TD. I’ll leave it for others to debate what the TD should do.
A player who notices a clock irregularity in his own game, which would harm the opponent, I think would have a moral obligation to do something about it.
Decades ago at the National Open, playing with my BHB clock, I noticed that my opponent’s side was ticking too fast. I called it to his attention and offered to give him an extra 5 minutes to compensate for whatever time he may have lost already. He accepted, and after I added time to his side, the clock started functioning normally. I think the winding handle must have become jammed up against the setter knob, or something.
Bill Smythe
That’s interesting, Bill, but what should the TD do, ignore it? This was a case of a delay not set, and not noticed by either player. It was only the spectator who reported it during time trouble. So, in view of 16P, TD TIP2, how could I not go in and attempt to restore equity? Partial reluctance was due to the spectator having a vested interest in the outcome of the game, so should the TD refuse to inject himself into the game based on that?
It is not spectator interference to tell the TD something seems to be peculiar in a game. It would be interference if the spectator told the players directly It is up to the TD to determine if the issue is actionable. At the start of the games, TDs usually cruise through a section and check to see if all of the clocks are working properly. It would not be unusual for the TD to miss if delay is on or off on a clock as each type of clock has its own protocols. Having been informed of the discrepancy, especially of a clock with no delay in operation, the TD can fix the problem. Whether the spectator has “standing” to bring up issue is another thing, but the TD has “standing” and the discretion to correct problems and inequities, unless the rules specifically say not to do so.
Things happen during tournaments. Scores are mismarked. Pieces set up wrong. Clocks have wrong delay or increment settings. For example, we have to double check the settings on the clocks we have available for our events because we might have forgotten to change from 3 second delay for Quick chess to 5 second delay for the weekend tournament. If a spectator points something out, he is thanked and we move on to make sure the playing field is level for everyone.
I would correct the clock settings. That the person who informed me had a vested interest in the game is irrelevant. He should not get a bad tie-break or bad pairing because I declined to correct the clock.
Agreed. If I was the TD I would thank the spectator for pointing out the irregularity to me and I would correct it. That the spectator had a vested interest in the outcome of the game matters not a whit.
What about when there is less than 5 minutes (or even 1 minute) left on each player’s clock?
16P says, “Clocks can also be reset for the correct time controls and the correct elapsed time for each player.”
Especially if a player is in time trouble because of the erroneously set clock, I would determine how many moves had been made and add the missing time.
There is no perfect answer, but I lean toward the game’s being decided on the board.
While the TD is spending time figuring out how many moves were made (if that is possible, as it is likely both players have stopped recording moves) and adjusting the clock, both players have “free time” to analyze the position. Also, what about the possibility the player has “accidentally” forgotten to turn on delay and then points this out at the very last minute in an attempt to gain an advantage?
Good point. Best if one can figure out whose clock it is, and have him pause the clock after he completes his move.
All this gets us back to the TD Tip: Directors are encouraged to intervene in the game to correct an incorrectly set clock without requiring a player to make a claim first. Incorrectly set clocks can cause multiple problems for the entire tournament. This intervention is best done early in the game.
For this reason, I walk the room at the beginning of each round to ensure that I see the proper delay occurring on every clock. Every half hour, I walk the room again to do a clock check. I do my best to avoid the situation in which players are in time trouble before an incorrectly set clock is noticed.
Just curious 
, how would a TD add time based on the number of moves if it’s delay? Increment is the trivial example but how about a delay time control?
Honestly, I get more questions about the second time control, how the clock hasn’t added the additional time, when the primary time control is not used up e.g. DGT NA.
Best,
~Acerook
May I ask about your thoughts on your question, Tim?
Same as increment. Perfect? No. But you’re not likely to be off by more than a few seconds.
Asnwer – because move counters are not always correct. GM Kosteniuk lost a game because her clock went into the second time control before she had made all the moves for the first. She thought she had the additional time, but did not.
Let me tell you about Peal Mann. At the start of her events (analog clock days) she announced what time to set the clock for. She pointed out all the time players had to come and get her to fix any clock problems before the last 5 minutes of the game. Waiting until the last 5 minutes to come and get her to solve clock issues was a no-no.
IMHO, the rules makers came up with 11H and 21D2. Both of those rules are clear that the TD needs to stay out of the game in the last 5 minutes unless asked to by a player (to correct an illegal move). That same philosophy is good enough for me to stay out of the game in the last 5 minutes to fix minor clock problems (delay not set, etc.) unless I am asked to intervene by the players.
Fair enough, but if the time control says D5, and the delay was not set, are they really in the last five minutes of the game?
I will let the chess lawyers and nit pickers deal with esoteric stuff like that.
Thanks, Tim.
Despite the encouragement to do so early in the game, 16P TDTip #2 seems to run counter to your interpretation.
Yes, the tip says it is best to do so early, but the encouragement seems pretty obliging to me.
Witnessing an illegal move in time trouble, and refusing to correct it without a player claim seems very mild compared to allowing a player to lose on time when he wouldn’t otherwise lose it if the clock was working properly.
I’m not sure we should draw the same conclusion to 11H and 21D2 as in the case of a malfunctioning clock.
What if the delay had been properly set from the beginning, and then a defect caused it to stop working in the last five minutes?
Wait – I thought you were one of the “chess lawyers and nit pickers”! 
I saw that in a FIDE blitz game (G3+2) video on chess-news.ru. They were using a DGT clock, and one side stopped incrementing when there were only seconds on the clock. The link to the video is not working, but here is the article: http://chess-news.ru/en/node/11137
Ah, a what if question. Tim Redman told me years ago to avoid them–they never end. Besides you might get your own answer by looking up the rules about defective clocks (don’t forget the rules update). More what if’s: What if there is only 10 seconds left on one of the player’s clock–does the TD interfere? What if the player’s flag is about to drop AND he is a good friend of the TD–does the TD interfere and reset the clocks–thus giving his friend a reprieve? What if…
Let us agree to disagree about TD intervention. Besides I have a rule of thumb (BTW, not a popular one) that as long as TDs are consistent when applying the rules (even if their opinion is different than mine) then the players at their events are all being treated the same–that seems fair.