I suspect that the blitz game timers are somehow, sometimes not accurate

So this is how it goes....nobody wants to take it to the next step (i.e., attempting to correct a problem that many have noted ) ?

No wonder this planet is ailing

There is no problem.

you haven't been reading then

There is actually a page on this site explaining this phenomenon right here: http://support.chess.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/91/0/why-did-the-clock-times-suddenly-change-the-clocks-seem-broken

It's called lag.

No wonder this planet is ailing. Nobody is smart enough to understand the internet.

You have 10 seconds, he has 10 seconds. You briefly lose connection during your opponents move for 10 seconds. He moves after 3 seconds

During the entire 10 seconds, you will see his clock running down to 0, as your board has not recieved an update that he has moved. Then, suddenly, when you regain connection you will see that he has 7 seconds, having used 3, and you only have 3, having lost 7 seconds due to connection problems. It's not that complicated.

It is simple, but not quite as you described. For example, I see my opponent's clock run down to zero because of his lag, not mine. It can go either way, and usually goes both ways.

Second, lag in transmission time differs from loss of connection. It's more like traffic. During "rush hour" when everyone is on the road, every car moves more slowly, but they do keep moving.

Third, there are problems other than lag that cause the perceptions of funny business. What is not clear at all is why premoves slow down the game. They should accelerate it, especially when both players use it. Play enough one minute chess here and you will be able to watch clocks stop entirely--sometimes for ten seconds--when both players are down to two or three seconds and both are using premove.

As already mentioned, that isn't the case in what I'm describing.

These are situations wherein NO disconnection from EITHER player is indicated. ( Should it be possible that a disconnection occurs that's not indicated, that's a whole 'nother kettle o' problem-fish).

However, no matter what the exact cause, displayed details that provide an incorrect, misleading state of the game are something that should be corrected...& THAT, my friend, is the point.

See #25 for an explanation on a premove problem. And no, it is your disconnection that causes the problem, and disconnection is not generally indicated unless it is for an extended period of time.

I have had opponents stop moving for 20+ seconds in bullet before the system tells me they are disconnected.

I read the article linked in #25 after #25 was posted, and last year, and the year before, and dozens of times before chess.com existed. I've read more thorough versions elsewhere. I've played online blitz and bullet at at least a dozen sites (more than 70,000 games since 1998). Chess.com is the only place where premove slows the game, and that article does not mention why nor how, nor does it offer a solution.

All reputable sites have means of compensating for lag (yahoo may be another matter). Some function better than others. Chess.com is not a model of effectiveness.

That last sentence I'd have to agree with.

There's a marked lack of mods or admins responding to threads such as this.

As far as disconnects, I've seen those flash on & off as quickly as a split sec.

AGAIN, that's not the prob here, by any indication. Maybe drop yer fixation with that (or presuming y'know all the answers).

The point is when there are know problems, why not address 'em or at least advise ppl ?

Side issue: This whole thing abt "premove" seems weird---why commit yerself to moves for an unpredictable sequence of events ?

Premoves can be risky, but things are not always unpredictable

In bullet, seconds count. If all you need to do is shuffle your bishop between two squares for fifty moves in ten seconds to secure a draw, then premove is the only way

On the thing about there being not many admins and mods around: remember that this site is absolutely gigantic and most people play for free. Volunteer moderators would be a nice idea though (I don't know if this is already a thing, only started posting on the forums recently).

On lag compensation: it can never be an exact science. It isn't just your latency that needs to be considered, there are also other things like packet loss that can affect things. Though honestly, I've always found the timers here to be okay. I've seen a couple of times near the end where they've seemed to increase, so it could definitely be improved, but seems alright to me. Then again, I rarely lose on time, lol. My internet connection is really bad so I get hit by the disconnect thing a fair bit though.

MMMMMMMMMM---that's my idea of a good game, have software shuffle pieces automatically so I get a draw !

The software is not doing the shuffling. The site's coding is permitting me to make several moves rapidly without waiting for its transmission of my opponent's moves.

The problems with the clocks stem, in some instances, from how the site's coding transmits the moves when both players are shuffling bishops. Those who play bullet sometimes care more for winning on time than through ingenious play. Against such opponents, it may take some tricks to draw a dead drawn position.

@ghostmirror

you don't really seem to have a clue about what's going on

I understand abt the players setting the moves but it's the software that allows & executes them, right ? That's what I meant.

I also meant, snarkily, that, to me, that's the antithesis of chess, perhaps the only game in which luck plays no part & which is built on responding to moves made.

Personally, I'd rather play an entertaining or unusual game than win randomly.

As for:

Aelormungandr

Yep.

Antithesis of chess?  1-3 minute games tend to be like that in any case.

The timer thing is a recurring complaint though, you're right.  I'd be interested if someone recorded their game and posted a video.  I've seen lag issues but never the more spectacular claims e.g. time switching and adding/subtracting minutes and such.

"Antithesis of chess? 1-3 minute games tend to be like that in any case."

Maybe but I think, though it still takes a while to build on it, that it's compressed exposure to moves, tactics, etc., that would take much longer in slower games.