Remember, 16V states that the single time control is "recommended...unless the organizer believes the players would prefer otherwise".
The local club is completely within its rights to have the dual time control, especially if that is the tradition for that club.
Caveat: I don't yet own the latest, 6th Edition.
As to whether or not there is enough time, I should think the fact that we use a second time control of SD/30 should indicate that there's not enough time for a second time control of an hour or more. The reason for making the second time control sudden-death was that people wanted to get the games over.
As to "recommended"--yes, I know; but if the rule were applicable to this case, I could at least point to it and say that the USCF said it was *preferable*. It's possible that the club will still decide to go with the SD/30 control; but right now they're not even recognizing that the game time control is to be preferred, because they're construing rule 16V as being about what's preferred with analog clocks rather than with digital clocks.
16U simply states the reason for preferring one hour as opposed to 30 minutes for a secondary time control. Does everyone in your club now have digital clocks?
I think I'm with the rest of your club. First of all, 16V is just a statement of preference, and secondly, 16U may be obsolete in your club anyway.
I think we all use digital clocks. Certainly, most of us do.
The question is whether 16V is a statement of preference applicable to our situation or inapplicable to our situation. It is being treated as inapplicable to our situation. I want to know whether or not it is applicable to our situation, even if the club chooses to ignore the preference.
"recommended" means just that. Otherwise it would read "shall be".
Yes, I know. But is the rule relevant to our club's time control, or is it--as those who say it is just for analog clocks maintain--irrelevant to our club's time control?
Anyone know how to get a ruling from the USCF?
My interpretation: MindWalk is the one who is trying to figure it out, so as long as he is a responsible person (e.g., the tournament director, the club president, or the person to whom the question was referred), he gets to make the call.
No, I'm just a person who has significant problems with time-pressure.
But I'd like the club to take seriously the applicability of the rule's recommendation to its time controls rather than simply dismiss the rule as inapplicable (because, they think, it has to do with analog clocks). I need to know, though, whether that analog-clock interpretation is correct or not.
It's scandalous that the USCF doesn't have a copy of the rules available at their website, and makes you pay.
Is learning to correct your time pressure issues not an option?
It's scandalous that the USCF doesn't have a copy of the rules available at their website, and makes you pay.
I've never understood this either.
Well, having no experience on this topic, I cannot say what might be persuasive to them or how to get USCF's attention.
There's an appeals process. It's clear that MindWalk has a copy of the rule book, so he knows how to make an appeal to USCF.
But it's also clear that the club is well within its rights to set up a 40/75 SD 30 tournament. The club isn't doing anything wrong.
How can so many people miss the point?
The question isn't whether or not the club is within its rights to set up a time control of 40/75, SD/30. It definitely is.
The question isn't one of appealing anything. I'm not appealing anything.
The question is *only*--*only*--whether or not the rule is applicable to the club's situation, rather than being inapplicable (because of really being a rule about analog clocks).
That's all.
As to trying not to get into time-pressure--well, of course I try.
I have always thought that if you're going to have a SD time control at the end, it makes sense to simply combine all the time controls into one G control. That way, you'll still have time scrambles--but you'll have fewer of them. Also, that way, you avoid having the complexities of positions from, say, moves 20-40, cause time scrambles in games in which the position has become clear soon thereafter. (There's something about move forty, too--a lot of games are still complicated just before move forty but become simpler just a little thereafter.) However much time players are going to be allowed, it seems to me that they should be able to allot that time as they choose.
You asked to get a ruling from USCF. USCF would only rule whether the tournament time control is allowed. It is allowed.
Judy Misner is the liason for the rules committee at the USCF office in Crossville, Tennessee. You can contact her via email: jmisner@uschess.org, by phone 931.787.1234 or by mail. She may be able to help you; however, she may also just tell you what others have told you, time controls are up to the club.
Also, it may help to ask for clarification from the club as to why they have two time controls instead of one. Two time controls generally result in more games ending near the first time control rather than the second, so games end sooner. Which may be the reason why there are two.
Thank you. I will see if I can get an answer from her.
Yes, that is the putative logic behind the time controls. But when you have ten or more games going on at once, there's a fairly good chance that some people will be there late. And there almost always are. The tournament director has to stay late whether there are two games or ten going late. So, I don't see how it helps.
I have been trying to get a ruling on this for years and have (a) had a lot of trouble finding an e-mail address to send the question to and (b) getting a reply even when I think I've found one.
USCF Rule 16V states that if there's not enough time for a second time control of at least an hour, then a single, combined time control is to be preferred to splitting it up. This seems to say that G/105 is to be preferred to 40/75, SD/30 (which the local chess club uses). At the local club, it is being interpreted as a follow-up to rule 16U and therefore as only applicable to analog clocks. I don't see that myself. But I need a ruling. Help!