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Los Angeles Open Updates

Posted By: Rich Munitz
Date: Saturday, 13 June 2009, at 9:05 p.m.

In Response To: Los Angeles Open Updates (Bill Riles)

"Unfortunately (from my perspective), a match such as yours may only fuel the fire of anti-clock individuals and those promoting increased settings."

Some of us like myself are not "promoters" per se as much as "questioners". I have simply been observing more cases like this one where people are playing under time pressure than I believe should be happening. Maybe people need to learn to better manage their time and the problem will go away. Or maybe the volatility of match conditions is such that too large a percentage of matches played at a "reasonable pace" will naturally run into time constraints with existing time controls. I don't know the answer.

So lets ask some questions. Lets assume the goal of clocks is to eliminate major tournament delays from slow play and to achieve the other non-time benefits enabled by clock, and that the goal is not to create "speed backgammon events". For a time control to be be considered too aggressive (assuming it is acknowledged there is such a thing), what percentage of matches should finish with one player below 10% of their original reserve time? Below 5%? My feeling is that if 10% of all matches complete with either player below 10% of their initial time, or 5% or all matches complete with either player below 5% of their initial time, the TC is too aggressive. Obviously you can't count anyone that is a known slow player, or anyone that is on a mission to use whatever time you give them. Are these benchmarks reasonable? Are we under or over at 2m/pt? I think until we have data to answer those questions, we can't say that 2 minutes is or is not enough. I remain open minded though not yet a proponent of change. But I will say that widespread usage and acceptance of clocks (which I am a proponent of) is more at risk if the initial TC is too aggressive than if it is too loose. And I too am concerned that stories such as these, even if they are true exceptions, do not help the cause.

In the Super-32, Patrick wants 3 13-point rounds played Friday night with some first round matches starting at 7PM. A tight time control certainly makes sense here.

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