It seems to me that the FIDE rule on when to add time (at the time when one player’s flag falls) is superior to the USCF rule (when the move is met) since there is much more likely to be a dispute over whether the number of moves has been made or not, than whether the amount of time has been exceeded.
What are the USCF penalties for a player who repeatedly stops the clock inappropriately, as the writer’s opponent clearly did here? Also, I was wondering if Mike Nolan had any clarifying information since apparently he was one of the TDs involved in this situation.
I could be wrong, but I thought the clock in question was set for 5 seconds delay mode for the first time control. The time control for that section was 40/75, SD/30.
I wasn’t the chief TD for that event, but I was the organizer and was coaching the chief TD, who was using that event to get experience for taking the senior exam.
I don’t know that stopping the clock twice, once to find the chief TD to ask him to observe the game and once a few moves later to ask the chief TD if the first time control (40/75) had been met, constitutes ‘repeatedly’.
I think at the point the clocks were stopped for the first time, both players had stopped taking notation, one at about move 29 and the other at either move 32 or 34, I forget which.
At the point where the clock was stopped for the second time, neither player had exceeded the 75 minutes yet, but neither player had a score sheet adequate for making a claim on time, either.
In retrospect, there are probably two logical things to consider doing at that point:
Tell the players to keep playing until someone’s flag falls, at which point someone can make a claim on time. (Unless the claiming player fills in his scoresheet prior to making such a claim, it would presumably be denied for lack of a complete scoresheet, but that’s probably not relevant–yet.)
Invoke the rule that since neither player can demonstrate that the time control has not been met, declare that it has been met and tell them to start the 2nd time control (SD/30.)
I’d like to see an account of this from someone other than one of the players. As described by Mr. Zeljko, the incident makes no sense. The TDs should not have been involved unless the opponent had made a claim.
As to your specific question: under USCF rules, a player may stop the clock to make a claim or summon a TD. If he does so frivolously, he may be punished by giving the opponent an extra two minutes. If he does so repeatedly, he may be punished more severely at the discretion of the TD.
BTW, the chief TD (an Omaha attorney, FWIW) has written up a fairly comprehensive report of the incident. I thought he was going to post it here, but I can probably get a copy of it from him and post it, if people are interested.