Clocks

    Keywords: Software

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Clocks are used to monitor and control the time each player has for his remaining moves.

Online clocks

Which Go server supports which time system? These are explained and discussed at Go Servers and Time Systems.

Analog clocks

mechanical

... are the most common (and cheap) [ext] mechanical clocks for face-to-face over-the-board games and tournaments.
The robust & famous Garde clock from Ruhla: Ruhla, Garde, bigger pictures here: [ext] http://www.garde.de/bilder/gross/schachuhr_mechanic_1-1_g.jpg, [ext] http://www.mastersgames.com/images/board/garde-clock.jpg
This is the less robust, however smaller one: [ext] http://www.chessforum.com/images/itms/663S.jpg

digital

There exist also digital analog clocks: http://www.garde.de/bilder/gross/schachuhr_electronic_1-1_g.jpg

[ext] Overview

Hardware-based digital clocks

... are more expensive than analog clocks, but enable time systems like Fischer Timing.
Examples: DGT Digital Chess Clock

Software-based digital clocks for mobile devices

Chronos

[ext] http://www.pilotzone.com/palm/preview/269076.html (link broken?) (see [ext] http://www.chronosdealer.com/)

Supports absolute timing per game, Canadian and Japanese byo-yomi, Fischer timing and chess-type time systems.

yclock

[ext] http://ylixir.dyndns.org/yclock/documentation.html

Supports absolute timing per game or per move and Fischer timing.

Miniban

If you have a Pocket PC, you can record games while simultaneously keeping the time with Miniban. Currently, no overtime/byo-yomi time system supported yet.

DsGoClock is a Go clock for the Nintendo DS.

Chess Clock

For cell/mobile phones

[ext] ChessGoClock: it allows both japanese and canadian overtime. Written in J2ME.

Ginsei Igo

for Nintendo DS


Clocks

Chronos

Has all kinds of byoyomi, overtime, Fischer, Bronstein, hourglass etc.. Very robust metal case. Intricate to operate.

See the Chronos Manual, as well as the discussion below.

DGT

[ext] DGT sells three clocks: the DGT Easy, the DGT 2000 and the DGT XL. Emphasis on ergonomy. Options vary.

Easy

The latest model, released 2006. Very simple to handle. The basic "Easy" model has only absolute time. The "Easy plus" model has a "delay" mode, a "bonus" mode and a buzzer. "Delay" is Bronstein Timing. "Bonus" is Fischer Timing.

2000

The older model. Main feature is that it has Japanese byo-yomi. (With a maximum of 9 periods)

Canadian byo-yomi can also be used, but only by manually adding extra time, like you do when you use analog chess clocks. This means you also must count the stones yourself during byo-yomi.

(Hint: The best timing method for this is probably the 3rd one. It does mean that, for each extra period, you have the specify the amount of extra time manually, but all the other time controls I tested do weird extra stuff that make them completely useless for this purpose. On the upside, you can see very easily when time has run out, at which point you can add extra time and start a new period.)

XL

New model. In a reversal from the 2000, the XL has Canadian byo-yomi, and not the Japanese. Since the Japanese method can't be easily simulated using one of the other time controls, this is a major disadvantage of this model.

Main advantages compared to the 2000 are a better user interface ("-1" button in addition the the "+1" for inputting time), and a buzzer.

Excalibur

Good value. Can do Japanese and Canadian overtime. Best price I've seen is at [ext] wholesale chess

Alejo: Finally, I received the Excalibur Game Time 2 and started playing with it. I'm still surprised it overpasses my expectations. I'd heard it's noisy, but it's less noisy than when I place a stone on the goban. It's got 10 Go time presets:
Japanese: from 30m 1stone/10 seconds to 90m 1st/30s.
Canadian: from 30m 5st./30s. to 90m 10st./20m.
And the possibility to define another 5 time set. Personally I've added some of the ones I find during online games... I bought it from the USA at [ext] Chess Books from Europe, it costed $36 including shipping to Spain and took 15 days to reach home.


Discussion

Chronos

One of the best clocks for playing Go face-to-face is the Chronos.

Chronos vs. DGT

A friend wants to buy a go clock. He's considering Excalibur II. A recent r.g.g. post mentions Chronos and DGT. Any suggestions? The comparisons on the net focus on chess... -- RafaelCaetano

Chronos hands down, without a doubt. My 1st chronos lasted for 5 years under *extreme* abuse (it was always left in my car, well below freezing temps in the wintertime) Originally used strictly as a chess timer (accounting for the other half of it's abuse) As I began to play go, the byoyomi features were discovered by reading the manual. Around $100-$120 (US) the cost hasn't changed, ever. Well worth the price for all the flexible options. -- Joshual000

There is a [ext] comparison on www.chessreviews.com between the Chronos and the 2 DGT timers. It focuses more on chess than on go, but also more on ergonomy than on chess, which makes it interesting regardless. -- uxs

The Japanse byo-yomi can be simulated in the DGT XL clock by programming a first period "Time" combined with a second period "Bronstein". The DGT XL has the option to store 5 individual user defined settings, so byo-yomi preferences can be used.

HermanHiddema: I've tried this and it simply doesn't work. Programming two periods, one "Time", one "Bronstein" was suggested to me as well, by DGT. I found that when one player enters his "Bronstein" period, the other does so as well. He does not lose his left over time, but he does get free time for each move. So one player is now held to eg 20 second per move. If the other still had 10 minutes left, he now has 10:20 left and gets 20 second free on each move.

blubb: At the official DGT [ext] buglist, that problem is listed as fixed. According to the manual, it should be possible to put up to 4 real byoyomi periods after the initial time period. Each byoyomi period would consists of Bronstein timing with e. g. 20 seconds delay per move and 0 main time, or canadian time with just 1 stone per period. I don't own a DGT XL by myself, but maybe someone with a late enough version could try it out and give us some feedback?

Dave: I just bought a chronos, love it, and have never even seen a DGT, so why shouldn't I contribute to a comparison of the two :-). See the chronos manual page for comments on some of the modes available that are particularly good for Go. Beyond that I would add that the chronos displays 6 digits. I have not seen this remarked on elsewhere but from the pictures of the other clocks, including the DGT, they seem to be more limited. If this is so, then the chronos may be the only one that will display hours, minutes, and seconds when you set out to duplicate the 40 hour limits used in Honinbo Shusai's retirement game against Kitani Minoru (not to mislead anyone there is only one mode on the chronos that allows you to set the main time to more than 10 hours, one of the Japanese byo-yomi modes). Seriously though, the wide display enables some interesting modes. Here is a picture of the chronos counting down a 60-second delay in the early stages of a 9-hour main time game. Even the chronos can not display 5 digits of time, 2 digits of delay time, and a space in the middle (that would be 8 digits). What it does is abreviate the main time, showing hours and minutes only, while the delay is counting down then automatically shifting to full display as the delay drops to zero. Meanwhile the inactive player sees the full remaining time. How do other clocks handle things like this?

http://Fukasawa.smugmug.com/photos/120738447-M.jpg

Byo-yomi on the DGT XL

tealeaf: I own both a DGT XL and a Chronos (bought for a local Go Club). I'd like to add that while the DGT XL does support Canadian byo-yomi, you still have to keep count of the moves and manually reset the time (by holding down one of the buttons). The Chronos clock, by comparison, keeps track of the number of moves made and will reset the time automatically. I find this far more convenient and, especially considering that the Chronos also supports Japanese byo-yomi, consider it a major advantage for the Chronos over the DGT for Go players.


This is a copy of the living page "Clocks" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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