Chess Evolution Clocks

Has anyone tried these newly approved fide clocks?

$100 to 200 in cost with some new features like adding the time for 2nd time control on move 40.

The premium model has a touch screen, but it is hard to tell how the delay is displayed.

Also not sure about the screen contrast..

https://www.chess-evolution.com/shop/5

Do you like carrots?

Do you have an official link to a FIDE page that says this clock is FIDE-approved?

@brother7 - here is alink on FIDE pages, not much info but does say CE clocks are approved.

https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/10642-newly-approved-chess-clocks.html

OP, not sure I would want a touch screen for a chess clock. 

I deal with touchscreens on a regular basis (for my job) and unless you are using premium equipment, which at those prices there is no way that is premium equipment, there are too many things that can go wrong. 

[EDIT] - I see touch is just for settings and such. I would not get one now, I would wait for a year to see what issues come up with it. 

. . . At one time this was the New chess clock! . . .

DENVERHIGH: once this was state of the art equipment for world's top chessplayers.

At the first international chess tournament held in London in 1851, there were critics who complained of the slowness of play. Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa (1818-1889) was one of the first persons to propose that each player’s time should be limited by way of separate clocks or watches.

In 1852, an anonymous writer named A. Cantab wrote that sand glasses should be used to regulate the moves with a limited time limit. “Let each player have a three-hour sand glass at his elbow and a friend on either side to turn it. While the player is thinking, the sand must be allowed to run; while his opponent is thinking, his glass will be laid horizontally on the table and the running suspended”. The idea was backed by Howard Staunton and other prominent chess players. Sand glasses were used in chess matches and tournaments from 1861 to 1875. However, temperature and humidity affect the sand in the sand glasses and was not very accurate. Also, a player would accidentally turn over the wrong end of his timer or his opponent’s timer and cause problems.

The first chess match that used a sand glass was the Anderssen – von Kolisch match, held in London in 1861. The time control was 24 moves in 2 hours.

In the early days, overstepping the time limit was not equivalent to losing a game. One could be fined, however.

Source: http://www.chessmaniac.com/the-chess-clock-a-history/

There is a CE clock without touch screen.  It's a darker display than the dgt300, and it will add the second time control at move 40.

Dgt300 has to flag before showing second time control.

You can set the CE clock to add the second time control at move 40 (or whatever the required number of moves is) or have it add the second time control once a player has run out of time in the first time control.

On the DGT 3000, for increment time controls if you set the time control manually using options 26-30, you can choose to set the required number of moves in the first time control and if you do, the second time control will be added once the player makes the required number of moves. If you choose not to set the required number of moves (which you do by leaving it at zero) it will add the second time control once a player has run out of time in the first time control. Not sure why the clock doesn't allow this choice for delay time controls. 

I found the Chess Evolution Classic clock on Amazon which is also interestingly listed as the LEAP PQ9918 clock. 

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Clock-PQ9918-Professional-Charging/dp/B07V7TJJZF/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9YYJMY8WYDW3KY2C3D0Y

I bought a Chess Evolution Classic clock. I own many digital chess clocks and am very knowledgeable about digital chess clocks and my initial impression on the Chess Evolution Classic clock is that it's a very good chess clock. It has a number of positive features including:

1. The clock times the game accurately (believe it or not, not all digital clocks time the game accurately).

2. The lever on the clock works well (on some clocks, the lever or buttons don't work very well).

3. For time controls with delay, it shows the delay countdown in digits that are big enough to easily see and the base time at the same time (some clocks either 1) just have something like the word "delay" or the colons flash at you during the delay countdown, 2) show the delay countdown in very small digits which are hard to easily see, or 3) cover up the base time during the delay countdown. Clocks that do one of these things can make it hard to know how much total time you have left for a move which can be a big issue if you are in serious time pressure).

4. For time controls with increment, it adds the increment time to your display in the preferred "add-after" method which is where the increment time is added to your display right when you press your clock. This way you can always tell how much time you will have for your next move if you are in serious time pressure (some clocks add the increment time to your display in the less preferred "add-before" method which is where the increment time isn't added to your display until your opponent presses their clock). The clock also automatically gives the increment time for move one which is the FIDE and US Chess rule (for example, for G/3;inc2, each player gets 3:02, not 3:00, to complete move one. A lot of players are unaware that you get the increment time for move one and thus on clocks that don't automatically give the increment time for move one, they won't know to add the increment time manually to the base time in order to get the increment time for move one.). 

5. It shows seconds at all times.

6. For time controls with more than one period, the move counter can be turned on or off. If the move counter is on, the subsequent time control is added to the display right after the prescribed number of moves in the current time control is met. If the move counter is off, the clock will add the subsequent time control once the time in the current time control runs out, regardless of If the prescribed number of moves in the current time control were met, and the time will flash and a flashing flag will appear If the prescribed number of moves in the current time control were not met, When setting the clock with the move counter off, it has the option to add the second time control independently for each player once they run out of time in the current time control or simultaneously for both players once one of the players run out of time in the current time control. This is the only clock I know of that has this option. For multiple time controls with increment or no increment or delay, it shows what time period you are in on the screen.

7. The clock can be set to "freeze" or not "freeze". In a sudden death time control, if the "freeze" function is off and both players are out of time, it shows who ran out of time first. All of these thing make it so the clock can be set according to FIDE or US Chess rules.

8. If the clock is paused, you can start either side of the clock when unpausing the clock. Also, the clock rounds the seconds on the base time up on the screen so if the time remaining is more than zero but less than one second, the time on the screen will show one second to make it clear the player still has some time left (some clocks don't let you start either players side of the clock when unpausing the clock and/or round the time down on the screen which causes the clock to show all zeros and makes it look like the time has expired when in reality there is still some time left). 

A couple of minor improvements I think would be good for a future edition of the clock are:

1. The maximum amount of increment and delay you can set the clock for is 59 seconds. There are a few tournaments that use a 60 second increment or delay so I think it would be good if the clock allowed an increment and delay of 60 seconds.

2. If there are two time periods and both players flag in the first time period, the black flag switches over to the side that flagged second. This is confusing as it makes it seem like the player who ran out of time second ran out of time first. I think it would be much better if the black flag didn't switch over to the side that flagged second. The same issue occurs if there are three time periods and both players flag in the second time period.

3. If the move counter shows the same number of moves for both players, it appears the clock doesn't allow you to adjust the move counter to put one sides move count one higher or lower than the other. For example, let's say the move counter shows that both players have played 30 moves but you need to adjust the move count so White's move count remains on 30 and Black's move count goes to 29. The clock doesn't allow you to do this as when you try to adjust Black's move count to 29, it will also adjust White's move count to 29. The clock should also allow Black's move count to be adjusted so that it is one higher than White's move count in case White's time for move one was never started and the player the clock "thinks" is playing Black is actually playing White. Most clocks allow the move counter to be adjusted correctly in the above scenarios. Also, let's say White has made 31 moves and Black has made 30 moves and you need to adjust the move count so both sides move count is on 30. The only way to do this is to first put both sides move count down to zero and then back up to 30, which is annoying to have to do and not everyone is going to think to do this.

4. To see the number of moves made, you have to pause the clock and press several buttons. It would be nice if the number of moves made were shown on the screen at all times. 

5. For time controls with multiple periods with the increment only on the sudden death time control, the clock doesn't automatically give the increment for the first move of the sudden death time control. For example, the time control of the 2021 World Championship match will be 40/120,20/50,SD/15 (forty moves in two hours followed by twenty moves in fifty minutes followed by the rest of the game in 15 minutes) with a 30 second increment only on the sudden death time control. The clock starts giving the 30 second increment after each side has completed move 61 but they should start getting it after they have completed move 60 (if you try testing this time control on the DGT 3000, the clock that is likely to be used at the 2021 World Championship match, you will see that it starts giving in the increment after each side has completed move 60). 

Recently noticed that the Chess Evolution Classic Clock is now available on US Chess Sales/House of Staunton, https://www.uscfsales.com/chess-clocks/ce-classic-clock.html. 

oh the things I'd do for a chess clock that doesn't look like it escaped from a scifi comic...

Thank you for your insight. I wonder why can't they show the number of moves which is the second most important thing after time.