The DGT chess clock is the only brand of chess clock that has been endorsed by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. It is used in top-level tournaments internationally where the world's "Super Grandmasters" compete.What separates this clock from other digital models available is that it features increment (or Bronstein) mode: this means that AFTER a player has pressed their clock, a preset number of seconds is ADDED to their time. The difference between this and time-delay (or Fischer) mode is that time-delay never adds any time to a clock: once the clock is pressed, it waits a preset number of seconds before the time begins to count down.
The DGT does not have time-delay capability, and probably this is the reason that it is not so popular in the United States, with the institutionalization of time-delay. HOWEVER, the current (5th edition) of U.S. Chess Federation rules state that DELAY and INCREMENT are considered equivalent: not only do few players know this, probably the majority of tournament directors do not realize this either, given the lack of uniformity in training and qualifications of TDs who direct events.
In summary: the DGT is the official clock of the International Chess Federation, and is perfectly acceptable in USCF-rated events. It is probably due to the lack of knowledge of the new USCF clock regulations that we do not see more DGTs being used at USCF tournaments.
Price: $89.99
1 comment:
The 5th USCF rules book says that time delay and the Bronstein add-back method are equivalent. However, the Bronstein and increment methods are not equivalent. With the increment method, the time remaining on the clock can actually increase after making a move. This does not happen with the Bronstein add-back method. I can find no mention of the FIDE increment method in the rule book, either in the equipment standards chapter or in the index.
Post a Comment