After the worldwide success of the
DGT FIDE model digital clock, DGT presents the DGT XL. The
advantages include: Option to mix timing systems (e.g start with a
normal countdown period followed by a "Fischer" or "Bronstein Delay"
period); Increased display size: digits are 18mm in height; Connects
to the DGT electronic chessboard and has special internet features
like an option to display messages; More display information (timing
system, current game period, white/black player indicator, ...);
Buzzer can be switched on or off; Easy operation with extra buttons;
Extra upcount timing method; Save and retrieve 5 user defined manual
settings. The DGT XL
offers 11 different standard methods for timing two-player games.
The thinking times that are most commonly used are preprogrammed in
the DGT Clock, but it is also possible to combine different methods
by manually setting your own personal preferences.
While several methods are well
known, others may be less familiar to you. Several of these methods
have been in use for a long time; others are the result of the
possibilities now offered by modern electronics. Every method has
its own charm and has an influence on the manner in which a sport is
experienced. The traditional "quickie" of 5 minutes per person is
different from 3 minutes using ‘Bronstein’ or ‘Fischer’ in which
every move attracts an extra 3 seconds of thinking time, although
the total thinking time for a game is hardly any different. We
recommend players experiment with the various methods which the DGT
XL offers. It can add an extra dimension to your favorite sport.
1. TIME: This is the
simplest way to allocate time. Each player is given one period in
which they must make all moves.
2. 1 PERIOD + Guillotine:
The first period is used to play a predetermined number of moves.
The second period, the Guillotine, is used to finish the game. 1
Period + Guillotine can be used as an alternative to the traditional
“Rapid and Blitz” with a quiet start.
3. 2 PERIODS + Guillotine:
For a less frantic game, it is possible to play a game with two
periods before the Guillotine.
4. 3 PERIODS + Guillotine:
A quiet end to a game also has its advantages. The simple
traditional clock gives the players repeated one-hour periods in
which to complete a predetermined number of moves. For more than 50
years, it was standard in chess to play a serious game in two
periods separated by a break. This had two disadvantages: Games
could not always be decided after two periods. From 1990 onwards,
the increasing strength of chess computers and endgame databases
added what some considered an unfair advantage in the ability to
analyze adjourned games. Various proposals were made for ways to
finish games in one session, without having to resort to the
Guillotine method, as this method may influence the final result of
the game in a way that can be unsatisfactory to the players. The
‘Bronstein’ delay’ and ‘Fischer’ methods provided a solution by
giving players a predetermined amount of extra thinking time after
making each move.
5. ‘Fischer’- Blitz, Rapid
and Slow: This method applies from the first move, allowing a
player to gain extra time apart from the standard period, as every
completed move attracts extra time. By completing moves in a time
that is shorter than the extra time per move, a player can build up
the thinking time available for subsequent moves.
6. ‘Fischer’- Tournament:
The ‘Fischer’- Tournament method is the most complex in the way
thinking time is regulated. In addition to the extra time available
per move, the player is also allotted an extra amount of principal
thinking time after a predetermined number of moves has been
completed. 7. ‘Bronstein’- Blitz, Rapid and Slow: The oldest
proposal from the chess world for a solution to the problem of
limited thinking time came from IGM David Bronstein. His method
applies from the first move. The principal thinking time is reduced
by delay. Before the principal thinking time is reduced the player
has a fixed amount of time to complete a move. It is not possible to
increase the thinking time by playing more quickly as it is in the
‘FIDE’ and ‘Fischer’ methods.
8. 2 PERIODS + ‘Fischer’:
This method also applies from the first move. Starting the game in a
traditional way, the player has to complete a predetermined number
of moves within a fixed period of time. By playing the last period
using ‘Fischer’, situations where time trouble influences the result
of the game too much can be avoided.
9. ‘GO’ using the Canadian
Byo-yomi method: This method is derived from the original
Japanese Byo-yomi method of the game ‘GO’. When playing with
traditional clocks was the method that was most commonly used, an
official who would be in control of the time using a stopwatch would
always accompany the players. The player gets an extra 5 or 10
minutes of extra thinking time to complete a predetermined number of
moves, usually 10 or 15, after the standard thinking time has been
used up.
10. Scrabble® + Upcount:
In Scrabble, games have to be finished, even if a player exceeds the
available thinking time. The more time a player uses after exceeding
the available thinking time, the bigger the number of points that
will be subtracted.
11. Hourglass: The
thinking time for the player to move decreases, while simultaneously
the opponent’s thinking time increases. This method offers an
exciting alternative to the traditional ‘quickie’.
- 6.0" wide x 4.5" deep x
2-1/2" high.
- Requires 2 AA batteries.
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