How to improve digital chess clocks

[Ian Thompson]

I would like to collect suggestions for improving the digital chess clocks which are currently on the market.

1. Something to determine whether FIDE Law 8.4 applies. (If a player has less than five minutes left on his clock at some stage in a period and does not have additional time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then for the remainder of the period he is not obliged to keep his scoresheet up-to-date.)

2. Wireless connection to other devices it needs to communicate with, or at least wiring that is routed so it doesn't get in the way of the players (unlike the badly designed DGT clocks that have a cable coming out of the side of the clock and into a port on the board on the border of the a2/a3 squares).

3. Functionality updatable via flash ROM, or similar, so faults can be rectified and updates applied if FIDE Law changes make it desirable.

[NickFaulks]

As soon as the first player goes through the 88 minutes, then the other player will get the 2-second increment too.

I would be quite unhappy if that were not the case. It would mean that one player got more time than their opponent.

[Kevin O'Rourke]

Part of the fun on the analogue clocks is you don't quite know when the flag will fall.
I'd favour using these if no increment is required.
Quite easy to wind the clock if it runs out and also easy to put it back the right number of mins at a time control.

[Stewart Reuben]

Welcome back David Levy. I had heard that you have again become active.

It is a very bad idea to use two different rates of play in one game. Players become confused. Thus, if there is to be an increment (and there should be), it should start from the first move.

There is no doubt the number of pushes on the clock should be displayed. It is only the obstinacy of DGT that they have never done this. It is no good saying, 'oh well, you can push a special button during the game to show the number.'

It should be possible for the arbiter to set the parameters on all the clocks and to start all the White clocks simultaneously.

If there is an electronic board, there should be the option of it being powered either from the mains, or a battery.

If you look at Chapter 17 in 'The Chess Orgazniser's Handbook' Third edition, you will find 16 points. Some are out of date and no doubt there are some new possibilities. You can access the material on the ECF website.
https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-cont ... n-word.pdf

[DavidLevyLondon]

Many thanks to all of you who have responded to my question.

David

[DavidLevyLondon]

Thank you Stewart - Yes, I am trying to become active again, but playing at about 400 Elo points below where I was when I retired in 1978.

Best,

David

[David Williams]

Even if you'd only played a single game with an analogue clock, of any make or model, you could take one out of its box and set it up without any tuition or instruction manual, in no time at all.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you Stewart - Yes, I am trying to become active again, but playing at about 400 Elo points below where I was when I retired in 1978.

Ah, so you are IM David Levy! I had wondered but was not sure how common the name is. One of my first-ever chess books was 'Play Chess Combinations and Sacrifices'. Still one of my favourites!

[David Robertson]

It is indeed the same David Levy whose work on chess - or chess clocks! - is far less interesting than his work and far-sighted thinking in Levy (2007). I've just finished reading (most of) the essays in Danaher (2017); and will shortly start Devlin (2018). Head-spinning stuff. Sure beats ploughing through wrinkles in the Berlin