How do chess clocks work

In the early s, competitive chess was a time commitment, with games lasting hours. Players would often try to stall and exhaust each other. One infamous match between Howard Staunton and Pierre St. Amant in reportedly took over 14 hours! In the s, event organizers started to innovate to reduce game times to something more friendly for players and fans.

Initially, watches and sand-timers were used. And at first, players didn't lose if they timed—they had to pay a fine! By the s, mechanical chess clocks began to appear, foreshadowing the familiar two-faced analog clocks of the 20th century.

Chess clocks are set at the start of the game to count down from the agreed time. Just one of the two clocks runs at a time, with players starting their opponent's clock and pausing their own by pressing a button after making each move.

Many models of 20th-century clocks featured a small flag on the clock face that would fall to clearly indicate when a player's time was up.

And by then, running out of time usually meant forfeiting the game! The invention of the chess clock saved classical chess, making hour matches a thing of the past. But chess clocks didn't change much until the s, when the first digital chess clock was invented by a student at Cornell University. And that changed everything once again. Not only were digital clocks more accurate than analog ones; they could also be programmed, adding scope for creativity and new ways to time games.

Most famous was the clock patented by Bobby Fischer in , which added a small amount of bonus time to each player's clock for every move. This meant that while time remained a big factor, a player in a clearly winning position wouldn't lose just because they didn't have time to physically make the needed moves. Fischer's bonus time has since become a common setting at chess events around the world, as well as in the world of online chess.

It is often called increment today. Digital chess clocks had one other important impact: making it practical to play full games of chess with much shorter time controls than ever before.

While the sand timers of the s brought game times down to a few hours, digital clocks enabled players to play entire games in a couple of minutes, and created a groundswell of popularity for "speed chess" time controls, like blitz or bullet, which dominate the online chess scene today.

Let's take a closer look at how time controls work in general, and on Chess. It's how much time a player has to make all the moves in a game. Some time controls are more complicated, and often break the game into stages.

For instance, players might have two hours to play the first 40 moves of a game, then another hour to finish the game, all while getting 30 seconds of bonus time for each move they make. Yes, most modern digital clocks can handle all of that easily! There are some interesting rules and etiquette for later. Both digital and analog clocks are readily available. Digital are preferable for their versatility and interesting play modes.

Yet many people still prefer the ease and classic analog style. Digital clocks typically count down. Time has expired when it reaches Digital clocks have various setting methods and modes so we'll deal with the more standard setting procedure for the traditional analog clock instead. Analog clocks can be battery powered but are more commonly powered by spring tension and need winding every so often. Never over-wind until they are tight or your timer may stop working as expected.

A light snug wind is enough. Analog clocks have a dial and hands, counting up. The signal for a player's expired time is a small red flag. As the minute hand reaches 12 o'clock the red flag will rise. When it reaches 12, the "flag falls". In a competition, the player whose "flag has fallen" loses the game with some exceptions! The time is set with two knobs on the back of the clock, one for each display.

Turn this knob as you watch the clock face. To set the clock for a game that lasts no more than one hour "Game in 30" or 30 minutes per side , watch the face of the clock as you set, first one side to , and then the other side to Starting at in this case results in a completed time of 6 o'clock a helpful standard for games that range from 5 minutes to several hours in length.

An observer knows exactly how much time is left by adding the time from 6 o'clock to the time displayed. If you're playing with a friend and you have only 30 minutes to play, set both timers to You will each have 15 minutes before the time expires at and one of the flags has fallen. Most players feel rushed when their time reaches less than 15 minutes or 5 minutes. Some competitions are built entirely on the 5 minute game. It's called Blitz Chess.

It's a form of chess that is very exciting and fun to play if you are already very comfortable playing the game. It is the responsibility of the player to point out that his opponent has lost on time.

Press the clock with the same hand with which you have moved the piece. It is against the rules to keep a finger on the button or to hover over it. You must not pick up the clock or punch it forcibly. This can lead to you forfeiting the game.

Chess Corner. The Chess Clock If you are going to take part in competitive chess it is likely that you will use a chess clock to time your games. An analogue clock A digital clock pictures copyright T.

Gavriel When a person makes a move he stops his clock and thus starts his opponents clock. Rates of Play There are various rates of play in use. An important feature of chess clocks is their sturdiness. During a match, players under pressure tend to punch the clock hard and sometimes even knock them to the floor. This is seen mostly in times of trouble and during blitz games. You should also have a travel chess bag, which makes it a lot easier to carry your board, chess clock, pieces, and other equipment.

This is especially important for tournament players in the United States. In Europe, tournaments provide players with all necessary equipment.