I have only played in smaller tournaments. Generally, there were 2 time controls allowed, because not everyone owned a clock that could do Fischer. So maybe you could either play at 60 moves in 2 hours, or 60 moves in 90 minutes with a 3 second time delay.
I suspect the bigger tournaments are more strict, but that was my experience with OTB chess.
A few points...
In most tournaments, if sudden death time controls are used (instead of 40 moves every 2 hours, or something,) delay clocks can be used with a 5 second increment. This isn't quite the same as 5 seconds added to your clock every move - the clock just doesn't start counting down until 5 seconds pass. Furthermore, delay clocks are considered preferred equipment in sudden death time controls - if your opponent has an analog clock, you can insist on using your delay-capable clock instead.
"so someone who blunders in the oppening and is near checkmate can't just make the winning opponent sit there for an hour waiting for the last move." - That's illegal. You can call the TD over if your opponent isn't trying to play the game.
In a sudden death time control, if you don't have a delay clock and the position is such that a class C player could obtain a draw against a master, you can call the TD over and attempt to claim a draw by insufficient losing chances. If he isn't sure, the procedure is actually to place a time-delay clock on the board, if one is available.
I'm basing these off of USCF rules.
According to FIDE rules the player with less time can summon the arbiter who can decide on a draw if the player with more time is not playing to win, but just playing on time (i.e. if he just moves pieces around in order to flag his opponent).
Here in Europe (at least central Europe) usually the "big" (master level) tournaments are held with increments (like 90 minutes for 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds), while the "small" (club level) tournaments are held under a time control of like two hours for 40 moves and 30 minutes or one hour for the rest without increment - simply because most of the clubs just have mechanical clocks. In tournaments with different sections, probably the master section will play with digital clocks and increment and the lower sections will play with mechanical clocks and no increment (like the Vienna Chess Open that's going to start next week).
90 minutes for 40 moves ... that is for full moves, not half moves, right? If half moves, then people better not make blunders, or at least none that can be punished in 2-3 moves.
As for the clocks, I just need to buy and bring a good clock. Otherwise, if I know how to draw something some c players don't, then the director will provide such a clock so it can be played out from there.
I've been to a lot of tournaments.
most frequently : a standard 2 hours tournament both get 2 hours no extra time.
in another tournament 2 hours for the first 40 moves after that a halve hour extra.
I don't like the last mentioned since it will always be a very long game in the evening and I have to get up early the day after to get to work.
I have never been to a tournament that add time on each move.
Yes, 40 full moves of course, and per player. So if the time control is 2 hours for 40 moves + 30 minutes, the whole game may take up to 5 hours.
Yes, 40 full moves of course, and per player. So if the time control is 2 hours for 40 moves + 30 minutes, the whole game may take up to 5 hours.
and since I am driving to a tournament with 4 other players, there is a high probability that one of the players will play nearly all his/her time.
if the tournament starts at 7 pm and we have to drive more than a halve hour.
Having played in the US from 1973-1997 and now in Europe for more than a decade I have played with many different time controls. I soon return to the US and will be faced with the delay clocks, which I have not used before. If the time control for an event uses the delay clock time control and neither me nor my opponent have a clock that features this what happens ? <Don't they just add some minutes to the clock of both players ? What I have played the most in the last few years in FIDE events is with a time control og G/2 hours with no increments or delays or G/90 with a 30 sec increment on every move. Both these time controls normally make the time per game roughly the same. 4 hours max. I prefer the increment to prevent opponents trying to "flag"" me in easily drawn positions which is practically impossible to do with a 30 sec increment. The down side to using increment controls (FIDE) is that neither players can ever NOT keep score. You must always keep score no matter the time left.
@ Reb
I've played in two tournaments in Holland this year with an increment of 5 sec. It was allowed to stop keeping score with less than 5 minutes on the clock. It didn't matter if your time went over 5 min again, as long as it had been below 5 minutes you could stop keeping score.
And I still love the fact that everyone in the US bring their own clocks to the tournaments :)
"so someone who blunders in the oppening and is near checkmate can't just make the winning opponent sit there for an hour waiting for the last move." - That's illegal. You can call the TD over if your opponent isn't trying to play the game.
I'm basing these off of USCF rules.
Never heard of that before. I've not seen this in FIDE rules or rules here in Ireland. In fact I had to hang around for over an hour whilst my opponent tikmed out in a mate in 2 moves position. Can you cut and paste the relevant section from the USCF rules or post a link please?
@Reb, increments per move are becoming more common now, any I've seen or played in the tournament organisers provided the clocks as indeed many players don't have the correct digital clocks yet. AS Titos wrote, in these it was permitted to stop recording once you went below 5 mins.
the longest I've seen someone thinking in a losing position is 20 minutes before resigning. I asked him afterwards why he did not resign earlier.
and he said he had to calculate everything. He would hate coming home and find a rescue on the computer afterwards. So I guess it makes sense to use some time on a losing position.
In events I have played in with increments they were classic events with a 30 sec increment. I dont believe you are allowed to stop keeping score if you have a 30 sec , or more, increment. 5 sec increment sounds strange to me.......what exactly were the time controls that were using 5 sec increments ?
In events I have played in with increments they were classic events with a 30 sec increment. I dont believe you are allowed to stop keeping score if you have a 30 sec , or more, increment. 5 sec increment sounds strange to me.......what exactly were the time controls that were using 5 sec increments ?
First tournament was 1:45 + 5 sec increment, second was 2:00 + 5 sec increment. Second tournament I was playing a very difficult endgame with almost no time on my clock and was happy to win thanks to the 5 secs I got after each move.
@MM78
The USCF has a rule, 21D3 (the USCF rulebook is not available electronically, so I can't cut and paste), that allows a tournament director to intervene in a game to warn or penalize a player for disruptive, unethical, or unsportsmanlike behavior. Deliberately delaying an inevitable loss would probably be considered unsportsmanlike behavior by many TDs.
@MM78
The USCF has a rule, 21D3 (the USCF rulebook is not available electronically, so I can't cut and paste), that allows a tournament director to intervene in a game to warn or penalize a player for disruptive, unethical, or unsportsmanlike behavior. Deliberately delaying an inevitable loss would probably be considered unsportsmanlike behavior by many TDs.
A TD can't punish you for taking your time to think, right?
"so someone who blunders in the oppening and is near checkmate can't just make the winning opponent sit there for an hour waiting for the last move." - That's illegal. You can call the TD over if your opponent isn't trying to play the game.
I'm basing these off of USCF rules.
Never heard of that before. I've not seen this in FIDE rules or rules here in Ireland. In fact I had to hang around for over an hour whilst my opponent tikmed out in a mate in 2 moves position. Can you cut and paste the relevant section from the USCF rules or post a link please?
Part of rule 18G1:
"... if a player with substantial time remaining and a poor position disappears for more than 15 minutes or is present but shows little interest in considering the position. Such behavior is unsportsmanlike and the director is encouraged to adjudicate, possibly after a warning."
@Titos75
It's a judgement call. Is the player seriously considering his move or is he just being spiteful and deliberately delaying the inevitable (refusing to make the only legal move is an example)? Also, the player's opponent has to make a complaint before the TD makes a decision.
Nowadays the answer is "yes". Even the official FIDE time control has '30 increments.
Thanks guys, that USCF rule would have been very useful in my case. The situation was actually that I had mate in 2. My opponent clearly saw it and proceeded to leave the board and wander around talking to various people. He had 1 hour 15 left. He returned to the board about 45 mins later when I wasn't there and made an illegal move and started my clock. Luckily I was just outside and returned and pointed out his "innocent" mistake and restarted his clock. He went off again and returned a few mins before his time was due to run out and sat down. I sat down again and he then decided to let his time run out. He stuck out his hand when the flag fell and said "Sorry, my time ran out, I hate mates." I refused to shake his hand and commented "Don't worry I'm sure you don't have many."
You don't just meet p@@@@s on chess.com lol
I'm afraid I'll get to an endgame I know how to draw, but I'll have 1 minute left on my clock, and my opponent, with 5 minutes left, will want to play it out even though I insist it is a draw.
Also, I know I'll play people who correctly point out that masters always agree to a draw in this type of endgame. But I'll want them to prove that they have the skills to draw it. I don't want to feel bad if they don't have time on their clock.
The point of clocks is to keep it even and keep people from just staring at the board forever. They are not for ruining endgames. Anyone know what typical tournament rules are? I also like the idea of a certain amount of time for the first 20 moves, and a certain amount added for the next 20, etc, so someone who blunders in the oppening and is near checkmate can't just make the winning opponent sit there for an hour waiting for the last move.