Back in my college days (yes, I can remember back that far) there was a group of us that were Class A / Expert level players. We would always go to the local chess club looking for some fresh blood.
I arrived late one evening to watch our group playing 5 minute risers games against a B-player whom we usually spanked with ease. However, this evening all my friends were consistently getting into time pressure and dropping pieces, etc. It was very strange! Then I also noticed that the B-player was always keeping the analog clock on his left hand side, regardless of which color he was. Hmmmm…
Well, I looked at the back of the analog clock (a BHB special) to find out that the timing adjustments were set to the opposite maximums. His side was set all the way to run slower and the other side was set to all the way to faster!!! I estimated the time difference to be about 7 minutes to 3 minutes. Since everyone coming in was right handed, no one minded him keeping the clock on his left hand side. So he was getting 7 to 3 times odds and no one else even knew it.
OK, I put myself in line so I would play in as black. As I was sitting down, I let the B-player reset his clock to 5 minutes and place the clock on his left hand side and wait for me to start his clock. I then simply reached over and put the clock on MY left hand side. He was momentarily shocked! He asked me why I wanted the clock on my right hand side since I was right handed. I just replied that it was black’s choice, and I chose it to have on my left hand side. He was mortified, and the sweat began dripping off his forehead as I started his clock.
Of course, he now knew he was giving me time odds and proceeded to play much faster. I simply took my time, allowed him to err and easily won the game. My friends were amazed, since this guy seemed to be on a roll and couldn’t be beat tonight. I played a couple more games before I let everyone in the group on the B-players secret.
I brought out my clock now, and told my group that I didn’t think it was fair to continue playing time-odds games. My friends were confused… what time-odds?? Then I showed them the back of the B-players clock, and explained why the B-player was always having this clock on his left hand side. I gave the B-player back his clock and he promptly left, not to be seen at the club again for quite a while after that as I recall. Our group continued to play 5-minute chess (no time odds now!) for the rest of the evening.
That story might have a flaw (although considering your other evidence, maybe it doesn’t).
Those slow-fast adjustments on mechanical clocks don’t always work as you might think. They might work in the middle of the range, but as you approach either extreme, sometimes the opposite happens. If you set it to maximum speed, it actually may run a little slower than it would at 3/4 maximum.
This can be especially true if the regulator (hairspring) is getting old and tired. Sometimes an extreme setting is necessary to get it to run at all.
Any analog, springwound clock is going to run a little faster than usual right after the button is pressed: the rocker arm leaves the balance wheel at an angle to put it in motion which may be faster than it would normally move. After it has settled down the ticking from each side would be noticably different for each side if it had been unfairly tampered with.
The time-odds player sounds like premeditation to me.
I was assistant director for a tournament with about 23 people. The TD also played. In a grossly lost position he reached the second time control and left the board to fiddle around at the TD’s table. His opponent wanted to go eat before the next round and mate was only about one or two moves away. The TD refused to return to the board and refused to resign. I was unaware of anything in the rulebook at the time to remedy this (it was the early 1980’s). Today, I would tactfully explain the facts to the TD and hope for a little reasonableness. If that didn’t work I would assist the TD’s opponent with taking appropriate steps via USCF to ensure this type of behavior changes. TD impartiality when playing and penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct are clearly covered in the latest rulebook.
PS: Obviously, I would not want to be known as a close friend of the TD if I was forced to accelerate to USCF level.
Worst sportsmanship by me:
In a US Action Ch I let go of my queen on a stalemating square, picked it up again and placed it on a different square. My opponent said, “You let go of the queen.” (Guess I wasn’t as quick as Kasparov.) I replied, “Let’s see what the TD says.” NOT my best moment in chess. Fortunately a spectator (GM Wolff in fact) intervened right away and I admitted my error before doing any more damage to my ethics. No TD required.
Worst sportsmanship against me:
In the first round of a 15-min tournament, I was running short of time despite all efforts to speed up my play. After figuring out what was going on, I managed to stop the clocks with my flag hanging and summon the TD. My opponent’s USCF Master Quartz clock was set so that when his button was down, my clock ran, but when my button was down, BOTH clocks ran. I wanted the clock to be confiscated and sent to the USCF. I think the TD let him off easy – told him not to use the clock any more! (Only when writing these words did it occur to me that the clock was on my right side, even though I was white. Perfect.)
That could have been accidental. At least on the BHB clocks, it is easy for the springy thing on one end of the rocker arm to become bent so that it does not stop the clock on that side.
I don’t like to assume the worst about anybody without a little more evidence than you presented. Asking to confiscate the clock might be going a little far. (I realize, though, that you may have had more evidence than you mentioned in your post.)
I’m not sure if it’s bad sportsmanship or not, but I didn’t wake an older opponent when he fell asleep during a game. He did eventually wake up when one of the spectators took a picture of him sleeping at the board.
Is this along the lines of telling someone they should hit their clock?
That spectator should have been removed, since photographs are only allowed in the first five minutes of games, unless the TD had specified otherwise. Also, the opponent might have had further penalties assessed because he benefited from outside assistance.
That’s not as bad as having to explain to a section assistant TD that he’s not supposed to wake up a sleeping player, even at a scholastic event. In that particular case the (quite experienced) opponent didn’t complain and, if he had, the TD’s action was marginally justifiable as the snoring was a mild distraction to the nearby players (though none had complained yet). It was an exercise of TD discretion, but not one I would have opted to do. I talked to the TD (unfortunately after the fact) and then let the chief TD know. We crossed our fingers that no issue would arise and we were lucky (the waken sleeper did lose the game).
That TD’s actions weren’t en example of bad sportsmanship. Rather it was an example of badly applied but well intentioned sportsmanship. It’s been a number of years and I haven’t heard of that TD making another mistake.
I concur with both of you. I will remind my opponent the 1st couple of times he forgets to press the clock. After that he’s on his own. However even if the opponent forgets to press his clock, I’m not going to just sit there and watch his time run. If I have an immediate reply such as a recapture I’m going to make the move. In the example I cited, I was ticked off because it was so early in the game. He could have simply castled immediately, instead of sitting there until I noticed.
I’m mindful of a tournament when a spectator was asked to leave by a TD for being disruptive. The spectator apparently disagreed that he was being disruptive, and didn’t leave. After about five minutes the TD poured a cup of water on the spectator. He left then, but threatened to sue for assault. Don’t know whatever happened with that one.
I once played someone who was totally inebriated. Instead of tossing the lush, and forfeiting his game to me and our team, they moved us into the hallway so as not to disturb everyone else! It took awhile, since he moved slowly, but I eventually beat him.
At a quad I was running, one player lost and then complained about the noise level in the room. It was a large, one room civic building, holding about 60 players max, and that was tight. The TD room was in the kitchen. He withdrew in a belligerent huff, then hung around an whispered his complaints to anyone who would listen. Finally I asked if he had car pooled with anyone. When he answered ‘No’, I then asked him to leave, which he did. I found out later that he had started asking people if they thought he could re-enter somehow. Like THAT would happen…
IMHO, it’s not unsporting to let an opponent’s clock continue to run without reminding him to punch the clock. It’s not poor sportsmanship to simply follow the letter of the rules (unless your opponent would have a problem seeing the clock for himself). I’d rather dwell on the positive and say that a player has gone well beyond his obligations by reminding his opponent and that he should be commended.
Worst sportsmanship I’ve ever seen? That would probably be one of those “sweeping the pieces from the board” fits, but the most MEMORABLE case of bad sportsmanship was a player of the opposite sex making “suggestive” remarks to distract her opponent.
Da*n - if you saw some of the guys in my club - that might be a welcome experience! Kind’a like the famous Faye Dunaway/ Steve McQueen chess scene? (Of course I am assuming facts that are clearly not in evidence here.)
That club might even be able to increase its EF with that added excitement.
An expert who truly thinks he is “special” accepts a draw in an end game. A thin
gentleman standing by offers a fine winning line as this is the last game of the event.
The expert snorts at him, and insulting says, “which just shows you sir, that you need
to remain silent, for I am an expert and know better” Amazingly, when I mentioned to
the expert, that the thin man was an IM rated close to 2600, he refused to change his
opinion.
Two old-timers are playing opponents on side by side boards. One keeps punching
the clock on the board next to his. After the third such incident, the victim ot the
error asks poliltly “could you please pay attention, and hit the right clock” the
other replied “shut up XXXXX " and then the insults started flying. Breaking up the
commotion, one of them told me 'you know M___ has never liked me.” I asked M
if this was true, and he said yes, for 15 years ago, he played the other old timer
and twice his opponent put his cigarette out in the ashtray, and he never forgave him
for that. for some, trivial things bother forever.
My college chess club made it’s first excursion to a small local tourney, we were obviously new to the USCF and tournament chess (we all had to buy our memberships on site) and for the most part everyone was very nice. Of the three of us, two of us lost all three of our rounds. The third one was in his last round game (having lost the other two) with an edge in a tight position. He slowly started to force it him and eventually was won. His opponent shook his head, look beat, extended his hand, and said in a hang-down voice, “Draw”. My friend shook his hand before thinking, having thought he resigned and didn’t dispute anything so ended up with a draw.
You seem to have overlooked the part where I stopped the clocks. As well as the part where this was a USCF Master Quartz clock. It may have a mechanical action, but not one like the BHB.
He was momentarily shocked! 
He asked me why I wanted the clock on my right hand side since I was right handed. I just replied that it was black’s choice, and I chose it to have on my left hand side. 
He was mortified, and the sweat began dripping off his forehead as I started his clock.
Our group continued to play 5-minute chess (no time odds now!) for the rest of the evening.
Kind’a like the famous Faye Dunaway/ Steve McQueen chess scene? 
(Of course I am assuming facts that are clearly not in evidence here.) 
