I was asked by several other TD’s in my club, the Portland Chess Club, if I would put together instructions on how to set the clocks we provide several of for all of our tournaments for the time controls we use at our tournaments. One of the clocks we have several of is the blue Saitek clock. This is what I’ve put together. Thoughts?
Looks good from here, though I no longer have a blue Saitek for reference.
For extra credit, how about a tutorial on setting clocks for the new USATE time control: 40/120, SD/30, d5.
I expect a fair bit of confusion and perhaps a wee bit of chaos the first day in Parsippany. I am refreshing my memory and motor skills on how to set all clocks I own and/or have used for that control. I reckon that could prove useful at USATE. But I don’t know the Omcor or ZMF clocks apart from using them when my opponent provides one.
This is where a clock guru can shine. Like Radar keeping the MASH unit running. Will be fun.
Good job, once again.
I’m glad you mentioned both that the clock occasionally freezes and that it does not do increment. That should keep prospective buyers away from it!
Bill Smythe
A tangential issue: I’m not sure this is still being manufactured. I don’t find it on any of the three sites where I buy chess equipment.
It bugs me that some models of digital clocks go out of production or off the market. If one is trying to standardize clocks for a club, or provide clocks at tournaments, it sure helps to have them all be the same. They wear out, and one wants to be replace them with the same model.
I now have seven clocks that are three different models for our club (bought over the course of 10 years), simply because the silver and black Saitek went out of production and the Game Timer with the round buttons also went off the market. Now I’m buying the blue DGT North Americans, and I hope those will be available for a while yet.
Still, it’s good to have clock-setting instructions, because the out-of-stock clocks will be riding around in people’s chess bags for many years to come. I, for one, need to learn how to set that ZMF clock that’s so easy to accidentally reset when you go to pause it.
NO! I hate that clock since when using delay, it doesn’t show the delay countdown and instead just has the word “delay” flash at you during the delay countdown. This is an issue when you are low on time since you won’t know when your delay time will end and when your base time will start going down.
Our club uses DGT NA digital clocks. I prefer this model as well. It is easy to set. There is a recessed on and off switch. The clock has settings for delay and increment. The booklet that comes with the clock is readable. When you pause or unpause the clock it does what it is supposed to do and does not reset to the original time control. It uses AA batteries rather than C batteries. The price is right. I have used the clocks for three years and have yet to have a problem with any of the clocks. The fact that the clock does not have a numerical countdown is a small thing and might even be better than having to watch different sets of numbers or flashing lights, wondering if you have enough time. The delay on the DGT NA is less ostentatious but still easily visible.
The blue Saitek clocks were cheaply made. Most of the blue clocks I have seen have lost the little wheel you are supposed to use to set it. The Saitek Pro was sturdier, but not the easiest clock to set, using the same type of wheel to do settings. The earlier gray model had buttons to set the time, but used Bronstein delay. Of the three, the blue Saitek was the easiest to throw a long distance if you wanted to throw the clock away after being frustrated setting it.
Maybe Akzidenz will start using increment instead of delay in her tournaments? (Doesn’t have to be 30 seconds, though. Could be 5 seconds regular or 3 seconds quick.)
Bill Smythe
When I’m short on time I prefer to look at the board during those precious seconds, not watch my delay time slip away.