Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

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  • Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

    Increment chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

    I am watching a game today. The time control is the common 90 minutes plus 30 second increment. Complicated endgame, both players have just a few minutes on their clocks, and are running on their increments. You know the moves have to come quickly, the players feeling the pressure as they fidget in their chairs, very entertaining. Great to watch, then it hits me. Why not play chess like this from move 1?

    Time control: 1 minute plus 30 second increment. Call it Increment Chess. Players have to move quickly right from the opening, make the opening moves quickly and bank some time. It would be different from Blitz, the 30 second increment would prevent it from becoming just a time scramble, but time would be a huge factor. I think it would be very entertaining to watch even for non chess players. Fun to play!

    What do you think?

  • #2
    Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

    Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

    Nakamura is on record as saying yesterday, “If every tournament was like the World Cup, I think I would be dead within 10 years”.

    So, while it might be fun to play and much more fun to watch, my calculations tell me that the increment players would succumb to hypertension, heart attacks and early-onset insanity at an alarmingly early age.

    I think a certified medical board should pass on this variant before it is seriously taken up.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

      Pretty sure I'd do OK-ish at it. I usually play the opening rapidly and try not to waste too much time. But I still need some time to play decently.

      If we're going for pure increments, though, I'd go with a 1 or 2 minutes increment, depending on the tournament. 30 seconds is just not enough.

      But 2 minutes per move? I'd be all for it. That's only a 4 hours games if you get to 60 moves. And if you want it shorter, just go with 90sec. increments. Then that's 3 hours for a 60 moves game.

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      • #4
        Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

        And for the record, I'd be all for something simple. Like 1h + 1m. per move for us amateurs.

        Simple, easy to explain.

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        • #5
          Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

          Originally posted by Wayne Komer View Post
          Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

          Nakamura is on record as saying yesterday, “If every tournament was like the World Cup, I think I would be dead within 10 years”.

          So, while it might be fun to play and much more fun to watch, my calculations tell me that the increment players would succumb to hypertension, heart attacks and early-onset insanity at an alarmingly early age.

          I think a certified medical board should pass on this variant before it is seriously taken up.

          Hmmm... succumb to hypertension, heart attacks, insanity at an early age.... sounds like the NFL!!!

          Retired NFL players are known to be suffering all kinds of ailments, there are even commercials directed at them by law firms. That's right, "Attention retired NFL Players: have you been... blah, blah, blah". If you haven't seen them, I am not joking.

          It doesn't slow down the NFL one iota. College-age players are drawn to the big money, no matter the risks. Why should it slow down chess if older players suffer ailments? That should help chess, give it faster turnover, fresh new faces rising to the top sooner etc etc.

          Incidentally, I can't imagine Nakamura was totally serious with that quote. Wouldn't he have been playing blitz since he was knee-high to a grasshopper?

          Speaking of grasshopper: "When you can move the King and Rook with both hands.... it will be time for you to leave."
          Only the rushing is heard...
          Onward flies the bird.

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          • #6
            Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

            Sounds like fun to me. Call it whatever you want!

            I use to enjoy playing online at 2 & 12, like speed chess, but you could bank time in the scramble and use it later. 1 & 30 would be something like this, with better quality games I guess. Would be fun to watch as well. Maybe there is an audience.

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            • #7
              .................................
              Last edited by Olivier Tessier; Monday, 22nd October, 2018, 10:40 AM.

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              • #8
                Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                I recall reading about something similar that used to be played at clubs. Every ten seconds, the TD would press a buzzer or hit a small gong at which time everyone had to make their move. This would go on until all games were finished. I always wondered whether there would be a lot of disputes of the "I made my move in time! No, you didn't!" variety.

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                • #9
                  Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                  I think that was called "Rapid Transit" but I've never played it.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                    Back in the 50's, my club played 10-seconds a move chess, controlled by a buzzer. You had to move on the buzz, that is, the moves on each board were made at the same time. They called it "lightning chess".

                    I believe "Rapid Transit" is 15 minutes per game.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                      Originally posted by Mathieu Cloutier View Post
                      And for the record, I'd be all for something simple. Like 1h + 1m. per move for us amateurs.

                      Simple, easy to explain.
                      .
                      I think you have to claw back some base time if you want larger increments. I ran a few tournaments with a 50m +50sec time control a few years back. 50/50 - it sounded very fair! Then I was forced to adjourn one endgame. I believe the Canadian Open in Ottawa 2007 was using one minute increments and then one game dragged on too long. Gotta be careful with big increments. They work well until they don't.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                        Actually, they are both the same. Rapid Transit was popular in the USA in the 50's. Not sure when it became known as lightning.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                          I believe "lightning chess" is the British term for "rapid-transit chess" - both normally played at 10 seconds a move.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                            Originally posted by Hal Bond View Post
                            Gotta be careful with big increments. They work well until they don't.
                            Hal, what about delays? They are not at all popular in Canada, but in many U.S. tournaments their TDs use a delay instead of an increment exactly for the purpose you stated - not to let the games drag for too long.

                            Say, we take Bob's original idea and modify it to be 1 min + 30 sec delay. This way, there will be no accumulation of time due to rapid-fire moves in the opening, and the spectators will be thrilled to see that every time a player goes past his delay allotment, his clock will "eat into" the one and only allocated minute.
                            Last edited by Vadim Tsypin; Monday, 21st September, 2015, 10:45 PM. Reason: Replaced "1 min" with "30 sec" to match thread title.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Increment Chess - 1 minute plus 30 second increment

                              Actually our new site has both increments and delays available, however our upcoming Invitational Saturday blitz tournament will use a 5 minutes plus 5 seconds delay: so a player has an opportunity to finish the game in the totally won position, but without possibility to accumulate time!

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