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BGonline.org Forums
Is "simple setting" actually what we use?
Posted By: Henrik Bukkjaer In Response To: Is "simple setting" actually what we use? (Matt Cohn-Geier)
Date: Monday, 24 September 2012, at 1:09 p.m.
Matt, that is simply not correct.
I know a lot of pages are calling it "Bronstein Delay" - it's a shame, because it was never meant to be a delay. It's an add-back. you get credited with some time, when you complete a turn.
Think of Fischer time! Bronstein is exactly the same, except that you cannot be credited with more time than what you spent for that decision.
Take your example and see it in the big perspective. You are playing x/12 controls, and you have 20 seconds left as bank-time. It's your opponents turn, what should your clock read? 20 seconds I suppose. Then you get your turn - you would then like your clock to get credited the maximum time when you start your turn, to read 32 seconds and count down from there? If you wrap up your move in 8 seconds, the clock would then read 24 when you hit your plunger, and you would then like the clock to truncate the time to 20 seconds, or?
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No, it goes like this:
You have X seconds to play the match + you get (up to) Y seconds added per decision you complete.
The clock reads X and counts down, when you hit the plunger you get your Y seconds added (but can never get more time than you had when you initiated your turn).
That's it - plain and simple.
You don't have to worry about what is delay and what is time, the clock will at all points read out your true time left. The number of seconds that will pass before you time out, in case you don't do anything!
The idea of showing a delay counting down, then switching to show bank-time is not needed, since your bank-time will include the seconds you got added from your last move.
If the clock reaches 0 at any point, you're out of time.
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However, it is true that your clock can never show less than the add-on (delay) at any time during your opponents turn, and thus also when you initiate your own turn. If, during the match, that you come down to one second left and complete your turn, you will get your 12 seconds added to your bank-time, so it now shows 13 seconds left. When you get your next turn, the clock will immediately start counting down from 13 seconds.
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Bob, getting a display of your combined bank-time + delay (as you automatically do with Bronstein time controls), must be preferred over any other ways of displaying time left.
When you play on a simple delay clock, similarly it must be preferred to have BOTH your bank-time left and your delay counting down displayed.
Should you be limited to have only one of these shown, I'd clearly prefer to have my bank-time shown, with an indication of whether the delay has been used or not (typically shown by some indicator or flashing pattern). You know you have your 12 seconds of delay each move, and you should have a pretty good feeling for what it means to play within those 12 seconds per turn, what you don't necessarily know at any time of the game, is you and your opponents bank-time left. And that is the information that can affect you decisions.
On the clock you prefer (the Saitek type), you will have to read your own time left on your opponents time, and your opponents time left on your own time. You can never at any single point in time look at the clock and read both players time left! That is just so annoying. Say you have a decision to make, and you know but players are low on time, but you don't know HOW low... You look at the clock to gauge if this is a decision worth taking time on, but you only see your 12 seconds countdown!?! Great, you have to wait and take time, to determine if this is worth taking time on (or if time should affect this decision).
Once you have played with a genuine Bronstein clock, you would think of this as an unnecessary tradeoff to make!
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