Game Time

by Carol Jarecki

This clock has a complete set of directions and extensive menu on the bottom, as well as the on-off switch, and is self-explanatory. The Spring Scholastic Championships, for instance, are played under a t.c. of 25/1, SD/1. This can be found as preset mode #30 by pushing "select", then the "plus" sign (found under "white") until the number 30 appears on the display.

• Begin the game with both play buttons level.
• Stop the clock by neutralizing both play buttons.

Notes:

White’s clock must be started and white must make a move before starting black’s clock. If black is not present to start white’s clock, white must reach over and press black’s button so white’s clock starts first. Minutes and seconds are displayed during the final ten minutes.The amount of "delay" is a grace period at the beginning of each move—time does not begin to discount until the delay is used up for that move. (It is not "added back" at the end of the move as in the Saitek and DGT).To stop the clock during play level both buttons, or "plungers", so that neither clock is running. Do not use the "pause" switch for this purpose.

Time adjustments during play: after clocks are stopped push switch to "pause", press "select" then the + or – sign to make changes. (These instructions are found on the bottom of the clock.). This clock has a move counter which can be displayed or hidden. It shows a time forfeit by displaying a flag and red light but, according to USCF rules, this is not a forfeit unless claimed by the player. There is an option (press "select" to "claim", then "on") that will freeze the display if the required number of moves have not been reached. The move counter may be displayed or hidden.
The original issue had some problems including sticking play buttons, loose battery packs that caused the clock to turn off at random and light construction. Current manufacturing has solved these problems but the play buttons, or "plungers", are still very noisy.

James Krycka

How to Set Up Your GameTime Digital Clock for MetroWest Chess Tournament Time Controls (40/90m + SD/30m)  09-16-98

(Much of this text was taken from the GameTime Instruction Guide.)

Your GameTime clock has 91 preset time controls, but alas, none of them match the time controls we use at MetroWest. The solution is for you to define a custom time control using one of the five user settable presets, named U1 to U5.

The setup sequence is a bit tedious, but once done it will remain in the clock's memory until you have to change the batteries. The following instructions define preset U1 for:

A primary time control of 40 moves in 90 minutes followed by a sudden death time control of 30 minutes (40/90m + SD/30m). No secondary time control will be used. Upon completing the 40th move, the clock with automatically add 30 minutes to each player's remaining time.

A time delay of 5 seconds on every move before the clock counts down (as recommended by the USCF).

A flag that will be displayed when a time control has been exceeded and the clock will stop to signal the end of the game.

Let's begin!

1. Slide the PAUSE/PLAY switch to PAUSE.
2. Press the ON/OFF button on the underside of the case to turn on the clock.
3. If necessary, adjust the brightness of the display using the thumbwheel on the side of the case near the ON/OFF button.
4. Press the SELECT button and use the + and - buttons to select custom preset U1.
5. Now set the primary time control:
6. Press the VERIFY button. (The word PRIMARY should appear on the display.)
7. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the left hand clock to 0.
8. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 90.
9. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the right hand clock to 0.
10. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 90.
11. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the move counter to 40.
12. Next set the secondary time control to zeros to disable it:
13. Press SELECT (the word SECONDARY should appear on the display) and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the left hand clock to 0.
14. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 0.
15. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the right hand clock to 0.
16. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 0.
17. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the move counter to 0.
18. Next set the sudden death time control:
19. Press SELECT (the word SUDDEN should appear on the display) and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the left hand clock to 0.
20. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 30.
21. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of seconds on the right hand clock to 0.
22. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the number of minutes to 30.
23. Finally, set the other game options:
24. Press SELECT. (PRESET U1 should appear on the display.)
25. Press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to set the time delay to 5 seconds.
26. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle CLAIM to ON.
27. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle MEM SAVE to OFF.
28. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle COUNTER to ON.
29. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle GAME END to OFF.
30. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle SOUND to OFF.
31. Press SELECT and use either + or - to toggle DELAY ALL to ON. (This will enable the time delay for both the primary and sudden death time controls as recommended by the USCF. If you set this option to OFF, the time delay will be enabled only for sudden death. To disable the time delay for all controls, you need to set the time delay to 0.)
32. Press VERIFY to signal that you are finished setting values for preset U1.
33. Press the ON/OFF button on the underside of the case (and hold it down for 2 seconds) to turn the clock off. Your customized preset U1 will be saved in memory.
    

To Play a Game Using Preset U1 Time Controls

1. Level the plungers.
2. Slide the PAUSE/PLAY switch to PAUSE.
3. Press the ON/OFF button on the underside of the case to turn the clock on.
4. Check that the preset is U1. (If not, press SELECT and use the + and - buttons to select preset U1. Then press SELECT again and use the + and - buttons to set the time delay to 5 seconds. Finally, press VERIFY to get out of setup mode.)
5. Determine which side of the board to place the clock. Indicate which player moves first by pressing the WHITE button as necessary to position the word
6. WHITE on the side of the display that corresponds to the player who has White.
7. Press the VERIFY button.
8. The information on the display should be correct. However, if you want to change any options, press SELECT to see the next option and use + and - to adjust its value. Repeat this procedure to cycle through the options. Press VERIFY when finished.
9. Slide the PAUSE/PLAY switch to PLAY. The counter will indicate move 1.
10. To begin the game, the player with Black presses his plunger to start White's clock.

Note that you can pause the clock at any time by sliding the PAUSE/PLAY switch to PAUSE, and then resume play by resetting it to PLAY. While in pause mode, you can press SELECT repeatedly to view options and change them with the + and - buttons. For example, to adjust the counter or to add time to a player's clock.