I have partially discussed this before, but here is my complete question.
Lets say black brings a delay clock (Such as the Precision) and white brings a high-end delay clock (Such as the Chronos/Chronos Blitz). Black’s clock works but the buttons frequently fail. On these grounds, could white possible force a use of his/her Chronos/Chronos Blitz?
No. Not unless the percentage of failure is high enough to classify the clock as defective. The rules mention only three categories of clocks. In descending order of “standardness,” they are time-delay, analog, and non-time-delay digital.
I would think button failure would be a sufficient reason for a TD to declare a clock defective. However, one player’s CLAIM that the other’s clock is defective might not be enough. The TD might want to see the defect in action before so ruling.
Bill Smythe
Button failure on a specific clock would be. An assertion about a class of clocks would require convincing evidence.