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Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users

Posted By: mamabear
Date: Tuesday, 3 March 2009, at 1:56 p.m.

In Response To: Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users (Barry Silliman)

Barry, I don't think your fast-playing old-time player will actually retire from the game over this issue. He'll get used to "the moves", and after they start to come naturally to him, he'll find himself whacking an imaginary clock during the chouettes, too! And it's good to hear that your newbie is embracing the idea itself, even if he hasn't learned to manage his time well yet.

One of the most common objections to clocks I hear have to do with sociability, that it makes the game too much a matter of getting down to business. I don't think that will stop very many people from coming to tournaments in the long run, even if they continue to feel that way, since there's always a chouette or two, along with a half-dozen unclocked side events, going on at the same time.

The second objection people have whispered to me in dark corners, since it's politically incorrect to be anti-clock now, is that the real reason tournaments get slow is that there are too many events, and inevitably the same people are involved in late rounds of more than one and that is what really causes delays. They have a point, and directors need to enforce that if you are still alive in the Main, there are side events you absolutely may not enter. And I am a huge fan of directors who speed up all the brackets by avoiding long delays getting the tourney started. In Pittsburgh last month, Rob Maier did a good job getting the brackets posted quickly after the auction--bravo! Another innovation, used in Pittsburgh and that has been becoming more common recently, is the Progressive Last Chance. That keeps things moving in general, and also makes it apparent quickly who is still alive in the Main and who has "qualified for the side events".

But neither of these objections makes a serious case against clocks. I think the main reason they are here to stay is the single pair of dice, rather than "speeding up" of the tournament. The second reason is that the director no longer has to single out known slowpokes to have their matches clocked, leading to hard feelings. He can just point out that everyone else is using them, and so must they.

Messages In This Thread

• Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
  Barry Silliman -- Tuesday, 3 March 2009, at 12:51 a.m.
  • Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
    rew -- Tuesday, 3 March 2009, at 11:18 a.m.
  • Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
    mamabear -- Tuesday, 3 March 2009, at 1:56 p.m.
    • Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
      Chuck Bower -- Wednesday, 4 March 2009, at 5:47 p.m.
      • Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
        Rich Munitz -- Wednesday, 4 March 2009, at 6:10 p.m.
  • Amusing clock reactions from first-time clock users
    Chuck Bower -- Wednesday, 4 March 2009, at 5:32 p.m.