The Term "Clocking" has recently entered the chess vocabulary, although I prefer no one to lose on time it has become a necessary evil in today's game. Also related to clocking is the term "Sporting behaviour" which if your opponent feels you are about to lose on time then in a Sporting gesture he may offer you the draw! Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last Season I won 2 games on the clock in a losing position and by virtue of Caissas' Justice lost 2 games on time in a winning position. Now who am I to interfere with the Laws of Equilibrium by offering draws in such positions, Surely only chaos could ensue!
In my game against Atticus. After a long struggle i found myself with only 20 seconds left on my clock. My oponent having about 2 minutes. My oponent had a knight and pawn against my knight. I offered a draw which was declined. 15 rapid moves later i lost on time but by this point. I was in a lost position with the pawn about to reach the back rank.
Im not sure if i could have claimed a draw. However, with correct play i believe it might have been possible to force the draw by winning the final pawn or show no progress. It was clear that my oponent was aiming to win on time or force me in to making a critical mistake because of the rapid moves under time pressure. In this situation i had no prospect of gaining the draw simply because of the rules we play under.
With the use of electronic clocks which is becoming the norm in our leagues. Im sure its possible to give some extra time to allow the game to be played out to a better conclusion without allowing the gae to go on for to long. 1 extra minute for every 10 moves as an example would make a massive difference. This extra time would have given me a reasonable chance to force the draw.
Go to the MCA Website and scroll down to MCA Rules. Click on Section 2 relating to rules for all competitions and look at paragraph 8 which contains the following:
" A player may also claim a draw if the position is such that no other result is reasonably possible. "
Given that it is the responsibility of the player to complete the game in the allotted time, we are still left with the moral dilemma of seeing the natural result of a game disappearing down the plughole as the dreaded flag brings the game to an end. Serious chess has arbiters on hand to try and give some sense of propriety to the proceedings but this does not happen in club chess. Instead we have the above to cover the situation.
You may feel the rule is inadequate. You may feel the rule does not tell you how to claim a draw. You may feel that the notion of reasonably possible is far too loose to be of any use at all.
It is hardly surprising that players lose on time in the circumstances you describe when confronted by such definitive rules as the one above. What to do? Complain!! There ought to be somebody on the MCA Committee in your club. Tell that person how you feel and ask them to bring the matter up at a meeting. Nothing in the rules will change without desire for change.
As for digital clocks, there is a facility to add time after each move but the idea of prolonging the game beyond closing time is not suitable for all club premises and there is also the problerm of not all clubs having sufficient clocks, or funds, to cover the need of digital clocks on every board.
Commiserations True Blue on your defeat, but 15 moves in 20 seconds is impressive! This is the state of modern day chess where time is of the essence. I believe the way forward is for all Clubs to go digital and the use of incremental timing, a Time control of say 36 moves in 75 minutes plus an increment of 10 seconds per move there after which would give a possibility to play approx a 126 move game within the 90 minutes currently allotted which would be a rarity in itself at league level. I dont see the cost of upgrading as being prohibitive as deals could be sought if the MCA purchased the clocks in bulk and passed the savings on to clubs taking the clocks.
