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Clock as punishment

Posted By: Chuck Bower
Date: Monday, 5 January 2009, at 5:44 p.m.

In Response To: It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign (Chuck Bower)

I've come to realize that probably the biggest impediment to clock usage is the feeling by many clock-opponents that the clock is a device for punishing the slow player. It serves as a scarlet letter when others see someone playing with a clock, and it even unfairly brands opponents of perceived slow players who had nothing to do with getting into this position in the first place.

A generic but common speech I've heard at several ABT tournament calcuttas goes something like this: "Slow play hurts everyone. Please keep this in mind when you play your matches. We have clocks and although we don't want to use them, we will be forced to apply them to matches which start late...." Does that sound positive or negative to you? I realize that the intent of the directors is not to give the clock a bad image but to speed up play. Unfortunately I think this method (both threatened and implemented) of discriminate clock usage has done more harm than good, at least when it comes to acceptance of clocks. And I wonder how much it's even helped speed things up....

We have a negative image to erase. Let's all get started.

Messages In This Thread

• It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
  Chuck Bower -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 5:33 p.m.
  • Clock as punishment
    Chuck Bower -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 5:44 p.m.
  • It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
    Stick -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 6:14 p.m.
  • It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
    Jason Lee -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 6:15 p.m.
    • It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
      Matt Cohn-Geier -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 7:12 p.m.
  • It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
    Bill Riles -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 8:43 p.m.
    • It's here -- 2009, the year of the Clock PR Campaign
      Stick -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 9:01 p.m.
  • NYC ABT Masters Event
    Stick -- Monday, 5 January 2009, at 9:09 p.m.
    • NYC ABT Masters Event
      neilkaz -- Tuesday, 6 January 2009, at 4:30 p.m.
      • NYC ABT Masters Event
        Jason Lee -- Tuesday, 6 January 2009, at 6:24 p.m.
        • NYC ABT Masters Event
          neilkaz -- Tuesday, 6 January 2009, at 7:04 p.m.
          • NYC ABT Masters Event
            Jason Lee -- Tuesday, 6 January 2009, at 7:19 p.m.
            • NYC ABT Masters Event
              neilkaz -- Tuesday, 6 January 2009, at 7:37 p.m.