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Why use clocks? The other side of the argument

Posted By: Daniel Murphy
Date: Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 10:33 p.m.

In Response To: Why use clocks? The other side of the argument (Rich Munitz)

Ever greater game clock use in backgammon proceeds apace, as do some arguments. In the chess world:

1843 -- in an unclocked match between Staunton and St. Amant, one game takes 14½ hours.

1851 -- Wretchedly slow play at the first World Tournament prompts the first use of chess time controls the following year.

1852 -- In a match between Harrwitz and Lowenthal, a time control of 29 minutes per move is imposed. Lowenthal blames this stringent restriction on thinking time for his loss.

1850's -- The use of sand hourglasses and double stop watches grows.

1883 -- The first mechanical (double pendulum!) clock is manufactured in 1883.

1927 -- In a match between Alekhine and Capablanca, no clock was used in the first 14 of 34 games.

Sometime after 1927, clock use becomes mandatory at all major tournaments. Does anyone know when?

1973 -- Bruce Cheney makes the first digital chess clock for an undergrad class project at Cornell.

1985 --- DGT, the manufacturer of the "official FIDE chess clock," begins mass-production.

1987 -- In response to Karpov's surprising gambit, Kasparov ponders his response for 80 minutes. Later in the game, he forgets to punch his clock, losing 3 minutes, and has only 1 minute left on move 26 for the remaining 14 moves under time control. But the game is positionally lost, anyway, and Kasparov resigns 3 moves later.

2008 -- The US Women's Chess Championship is decided by a blitz game -- 6 minutes for White and 4.5 for Black, with draw odds. Despite a time advantage as the game nears an end (at one point having 8 or more seconds left when her opponent Zatonskih has only 3), Krush loses on time; Zatonskih has 1 second left on her clock.

---

http://www.suite101.com/content/history-of-timers-and-clocks-in-chess-matches-a127230

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40713FC3F550C738EDDA90994DF484D81

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4686

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_clock

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fNQjXHjRkNQ

Messages In This Thread

• Why use clocks?
  Stick -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 5:58 a.m.
  • Why use clocks?
    Bill Riles -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 2:21 p.m.
    • Why use clocks?
      adrianov -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 11:00 p.m.
      • Why use clocks?
        mtuhtan -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 11:18 p.m.
  • Why use clocks?
    Stanley E. Richards -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 4:09 p.m.
    • Why use clocks?
      Bill Riles -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 4:26 p.m.
    • Why use clocks?
      Havard Raddum -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 8:57 p.m.
      • Why use clocks?
        Chuck Bower -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 9:46 p.m.
        • Why use clocks?
          adambulldog -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 4:50 a.m.
      • Why use clocks?
        Bill Riles -- Tuesday, 18 January 2011, at 9:53 p.m.
        • Why use clocks?
          Stanley E. Richards -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 6:00 a.m.
          • Why use clocks?
            Bill Riles -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 3:15 p.m.
  • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
    Timothy Chow -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 1:25 a.m.
    • Valid Argument Against Clocks
      Matt Cohn-Geier -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 7:48 a.m.
    • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
      Henrik Bukkjaer -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 12:36 p.m.
      • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
        neilkaz -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 4:00 p.m.
        • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
          Henrik Bukkjaer -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 11:39 p.m.
          • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
            dlevy -- Thursday, 20 January 2011, at 4:52 a.m.
            • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
              Henrik Bukkjaer -- Monday, 24 January 2011, at 1:49 p.m.
      • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
        Rich Munitz -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 9:02 p.m.
        • Why use clocks? The other side of the argument
          Daniel Murphy -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 10:33 p.m.
  • Why use clocks?
    Sebastiaan Kuijs -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 11:06 a.m.
  • Why use clocks? I'll give you reasons not to!
    Phil Simborg -- Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 4:37 p.m.
    • Why use clocks? I'll give you reasons not to!
      Bob Koca -- Thursday, 20 January 2011, at 6:12 p.m.
      • Why use clocks? I'll give you reasons not to!
        Rich Munitz -- Thursday, 20 January 2011, at 7:38 p.m.
    • Why use clocks? I'll give you reasons not to!
      mtuhtan -- Thursday, 20 January 2011, at 6:29 p.m.
    • I never learned to tell time *NM*
      Michael Petch -- Thursday, 20 January 2011, at 10:08 p.m.
  • Why use clocks?
    Julia Hayward -- Friday, 21 January 2011, at 9:52 a.m.