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Clock Time Management

Posted By: Bob Koca
Date: Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 7:24 p.m.

In Response To: Clock Time Management (Bill Riles)

Suppose you decide to pace yourself and always try to stay above 1 minute left per point remaining for both players. A move comes up and it is very tough but you play it sooner than you may like to stay on pace. An error there may mean you lose before even reaching DMP.

Here is another way of looking at it. An error at DMP may cost a large MWC whereas a similar error made at 13 away 13 away a small MWC. But if that match eventually turns into DMP that "small" error is actually a large error, you just didn't know it at the time.

Another consideration is suppose you play faster than you might want in order to stay on pace and then the next few games have a big points value and/or are simple ones to play. You were sacrificing think time that you could have definitely used for just the potential of having it later.

Ironically your statement "One never knows how many games, other than the obvious maximum, a match may last nor the complexity of those games." argues for the opposite conclusion as what you reached. If you have a complex move right now use your time. That is the time to use some time. You never know if there will be in the future another occasion like that one.

Here is a thought experiment. Suppose we each have 5 minutes on our clocks to play a series of 1 point matches with an equal sized bet on each one. We don't know how many matches it will be in advance though other than that it is equally likely to be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Do you agree in that situation that a strategy of not using more than 1 minute per match is suboptimal?

I do agree that playing DMP on the buffer would not be someone's best game.

Messages In This Thread

• Clock Time Management
  Bill Riles -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 6:47 p.m.
  • Clock Time Management
    Bob Koca -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 7:24 p.m.
    • Clock Time Management
      Bill Riles -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 8:22 p.m.
      • Clock Time Management
        Bob Koca -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 8:50 p.m.
        • Clock Time Management
          Stick -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 8:59 p.m.
          • Clock Time Management
            Bob Koca -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 9:03 p.m.
            • Clock Time Management
              Stick -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 9:04 p.m.
              • Clock Time Management
                Rich Munitz -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 10:04 p.m.
                • Clock Time Management
                  Stick -- Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 10:14 p.m.
                  • Clock Time Management
                    MFIC -- Thursday, 29 January 2009, at 6:52 a.m.
                    • Clock Time Management
                      Stick -- Thursday, 29 January 2009, at 6:59 a.m.