That’s my point. It doesn’t even have the capability to count moves in the first time control. That’s not good. In a mutual time scramble when the players make two moves per second it’s going to be hard, if not impossible, for the players to tell whether they made time control or not. Why is there a move counter available on Fischer mode but not when you’re playing with Delay/Bronstein? This is a serious shortcoming in the clock, don’t you think?
The clock runs about $100 and it is not able to perform this simple function??
The truth is that if out of the, say, 20 tournaments you play a year 85% are USCF tournaments you’ll be better off using a Chronos, Game Timer II, or some other clock but not a DGT XL clock.
DGT clocks are just great for FIDE tournaments, though.
Yes, GrantPerks, it does. However, for the first time control, you can’t set the clock on delay mode and have it enter the 2nd time control, automatically, after 40 moves. That’s what we meant when we said that “it’s not counting moves.”
The time control 40/2 and SD 1hr (Delay) is not supported by this clock, unless you do it manually like I said in my previous posts.
Notifying? That’s what is confusing you. We’re not saying it doesn’t notify you. It just doesn’t enter the second time control after move 40.
For Fischer mode, the clock asks you what time you want, how much increment, and the number of moves you have to make to make time control.
For Delay mode, the clock asks you what time you want, how much delay, but it doesn’t even ask you the number of moves you have to make to make time control!
You see now why I think this clock is not fit for USCF tournaments? I hope this clears up all the confusion.
This clock will do time control 40/2 and SD 1 delay. The problem is, as you have indicated, that the first time period must be programmed in Fischer mode, which does ask how many moves before going to the next time control. The increment you refer to under Fischer mode is the same as the delay. The problem is that that increment of time is being added to the overall time even if you move in less than that time. This could result in both players getting, theoretically, about an additional 40x5 seconds to play their round.
Because of this apparent limitation in the DGTXL clock I must agree that the Chronos is much better suited for this time control. But I don’t know that I would say that the DGTXL clock is not fit for USCF tournaments.
I have emailed DGT to see if they have a better way to handle this time control and I will post it if they do.
Can it do it without you having to pause in the middle of the game to add one hour? Of course not and this is what I’ve been saying all along. If you still think it can do it please list here the exact steps I have to follow to get it to do 40/2 and SD1 delay automatically.
Correct.
I can’t believe you’re saying this. This is the first time I hear someone say that Fischer and Delay mode are the same. I’d like to see what the other forum members think about this statement you made.
Right. That’s the difference between Fischer and Delay.
All I’m saying is that if you play almost exclusively in USCF tournaments you’re not going to want to own a DGT clock. Chronos is much better for 40/2 and SD1 dealy. If you still want to get a DGT clock and stop at move 40 every time knock yourself out.
I am NOT saying that Fischer and Delay mode are the same. When you are programming the DGTXL under the Fischer mode the second step after entering in the overall time for that period is the increment step. You make that increment the same as the delay time. That is what I am saying. I know full well that Fischer mode is not the same as Delay mode. I have four of these clocks and I set one of them up this morning and it does not pause after the first time period so I don’t know what you are talking about. Perhaps your clock is defective?
I had already considered this. You could set it for multiple time controls but you wouldn’t have delay in the 1st time control. And according to Smythe Dakota, uschess.org/forums/viewtopic … clock#7196, having delay for the 2nd time control and not the first one is not legal.
I am trying to help you. I am a TD, for what it’s worth. I now understand and agree with you that you have to manually stop the clock if you set the first and final time control in delay mode. I was offering a solution to your problem by saying that you COULD set the first time control in Fischer mode which would automatically go into the second time control (delay) at the end of the set number of moves. I also said that there is a problem with the Fischer mode because of the time add back. I therefore do not advocate this clock for this time control, I prefer Chronos. However, this clock can be used in USCF tournaments with the pause problem or in SD time controls with its Bronstein (delay) mode. I await the detailed directions from DGT to see if there is a “work around” for the time control you have described. I am sorry I attempted to contribute to this thread and will now bow out.
Terry, you don’t need to apologize; we just were struggling a little bit to understand what the other was trying to say; sometimes I don’t make myself clear. I appreciate you trying to help me. I think this thread is more complete now that we’ve cleared up all the confusion. Thank you.
Having any clock add the next time allotment when it thinks the prescribed number of moves has been reached has its flaws also. If an illegal move is discovered after the clock has been punched then the clock will count the move towards reaching the next time control. In a time scramble when players are moving very fast players often times press the clock before their opponent has had an opportunity to press it for their move. This will cause the clock to be off on the count as well.
You don’t have to stop at move 40, just let the clock add the additional time when the first is exhausted.
Yes but you can easily subtract one to the move counter when this happens. Just pause it, hold the rightmost button down for two seconds. Skip the hours, minutes, seconds and there you can make adjustments to the move counter with the - and + buttons.
At the FIDE Technical Commission meeting, they voted that in the future clocks should not indicate moves at all, and that if a clock has that capability it should be turned off for FIDE rated events. I think that recommendation was adopted by the Congress.
I think FIDE changes such as this take effect about a year after passage.
I find it peculiar that the DGT would have a move counter with one mode but not another. Nevertheless, there are reasonable arguments against using the move counter at all. The main one is that the counter can be inaccurate. For example, if a player makes an illegal move and presses the clock, and his opponent immediately presses the clock back and says “illegal move”, now the move count will be one too high. Or, if a player forgets to press his clock, it will be one too low.
For this reason, some TDs hate it when players use the move counter, and prefer not to deal with it at all.
As a player, however, I think the move counter ROCKS. It’s reassuring to see that extra hour added at the moment you complete your 40th move.
No, no, a thousand times no. Increment is WAY different from delay. If you use only 2 seconds of your 5-second delay, in increment mode you get to keep the other 3 seconds, whereas in delay mode you do not. Thus, in increment mode a player’s total remaining time can actually INCREASE with each move.
A few players have been known to sneak their clocks into increment mode without telling their opponents. Most likely, the opponent will be none the wiser, until a time scramble sets in – at which time all Haydes breaks loose.
Yes, GrantPerks, it does. However, for the first time control, you can’t set the clock on delay mode and have it enter the 2nd time control, automatically, after 40 moves. That’s what we meant when we said that “it’s not counting moves.”