Help Chess Tournament!!!!!!!?

Question

In a chess tournament do they always have a timer? and if they do what is it for? Any other info would be greatly apriciated, Thanks!

Answer 1

Sure.  Well, it's to time the moves (so people don't take all day thinking about their games--especially important if there is more than one game per day, which there usually is in most tournaments).  The clocks have two faces--and you press a button after you've played your move and that starts your opponent's clock going.  Common time limits (or time controls, as they're called) are 40 moves in 2 hours, 40 moves in 90 minutes, or 30 moves in 90 minutes.  Once the game gets past that first time control (and each player is required to write down the moves in their game so they both know when this point is), there is a second time limit--nowadays generally "sudden death"--ie, each player has to make all of their remaining moves in a given time period (usually 1/2 hour or an hour).  In the olden days the most common second time control was 20 moves in one hour; and a third, fourth or even more (if necessary) would also be 20/1 (as it's usually written).  Oh yeah, and that's why when White makes a move and then Black makes a move it's considered to be 1 move, not 2 moves (a single move by itself--ie, when just one player makes a move--is actually called a "half-move").

Answer 2

Yes, chess clocks have been used for over a century now at chess tournaments.  Generally there are three types of chess tournaments based on time limits.

1. Blitz - Where you have 10 mins. or less to make all your moves.

2. Fast - where you have 11 to 30 mins for all your moves

3. Standard - where you get 60 or more mins for your moves

A chess clock is really two clocks in one case.  a clock for each player.  There are two buttons on top of the clock and when you make your move you press your button which starts your opponent's clock and he does the same when he moves.  If your clock runs down your opponent can claim a win based on time control.  

for a good explanation of chess clocks their use and history check out the following link.

Answer 3

Yes tournaments are always timed.

A predetermined time limit is set on the chess clock which is actually two clocks.  If, for instance, the game in the tournament is to be 90 minutes then each clock on the chess timer would be set to 45 minutes.  When it is your move, your opponent hits the start button and your 45 minutes starts counting down.  As soon as you finish your move you then hit  a start button  which stops your timer and starts his.  This is repeated until the game ends. The timer allows each player to use as much time for a move as he wants as long as his total moves do not exceed 45 minutes which in turn means the entire game would not exceed the predetermined 90 minutes.  The game is won when there is either a checkmate or when a player's time runs out.

There is a story about how the need for chess clocks came about.  It says that during a Grandmaster game, several hours passed with neither player making a move.  Finally one of the players got tired of waiting and asked, "Will you be moving anytime today?" to which the other player replied, "I thought it was your move!"

So, one purpose of the chess clock is to insure that the players always know whose turn it is!

Learn all about chess clocks here: http://chess.about.com/library/weekly/aa...

Good luck!  I hope this helps!  Castle early!

Answer 4

The clock aspect has already been explained.

Players have to record the moves of their game by means of chess notation.

If you're not sure what chess notation is, here's an article explaining how it works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_c...

(Algebraic notation is the most commonly used notation today, it's used almost universally).  All modern chess books are written using Algebraic notation, and several older classic books have been re-published using Algebraic (as opposed to their original form of "Descriptive Notation).

Answer 5

i suppose they do use timers.  its for timing each of your moves.  whoever runs out of time first before anyone wins loses the game.