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BGonline.org Forums
Clocks
Posted By: Coolrey In Response To: Clocks (Matt Cohn-Geier)
Date: Friday, 5 September 2008, at 10:49 p.m.
Matt: The cocked dice rule needs to be changed. Seriously, there's no point in keeping it the way it is. I liked the suggestion on here about resetting the delay when dice are cocked. After the buffer is reset the player can pick up the dice and roll again.
ME: NO. Cocked dice happen infrequently, unless someone is wild with the dice throw, and rarely result in loss of actual time. Most moves are still made before the time lapse ends and real time begins. It is too rare of an occurrence that the dice will be cocked on a play that will take a long time and in any even the only extra time to be lost will be the time it takes to get the die and re-roll it. Centering, or pausing, the clock to retrieve the dice, but not re-setting the time delay is acceptable imho. Re-setting will promote abuse.
Matt: My view is that clocks won't possibly slow matches down any further than they currently are
Me: Right! They are used to prevent 3 hour 7 point matches. The whole idea is to speed up the chronically slow players.
Matt: 6) I personally think the time controls of 2/12 are too strict for an ABT event. 2/12 is a little intimidating to me (and I've been using chess clocks for years), so it's probably a whole lot more intimidating to someone who has never used a chess clock at all, doesn't want to migrate to clocks, and can't play backgammon at lightning speeds. I suggested 4/15, offhand, as a way to introduce clocks to the reluctant public. I realize that 4/15 is still too slow, but it would probably be less intimidating to others. Personally, I would prefer 2.5/15, but 2/15 is probably acceptable.
ME: You played one match on the clock, I think, and it was a 1 pointer. Maybe you were nervous because it was to determine an important bye and the time constraint added extra pressure but that was an out of context application for the most part.
Clocks were tested extensively by directors and players and the time limits are reasonable. 4/15 represents 4 minutes per point, and 15 seconds per move. 4 mins/pt/person = 8 minutes, not to mention the time delay. A 7 point match would then get 56 total minutes without considering the 15 seconds per play. Ridiculous.
If after extensive deployment of clocks in ABT events the time constraints are found to be too confining, then by agreement of the ABT community at large, they could be changed. Give it a good try first, though, otherwise the work developing the limits will have been done in vain. People will get over their initial fear/discomfort.
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