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Seriously now: A Case for 45+45 Time Control (From a Biased League Moderator)

I advocate merging 45+45 and 30+30 into 45+30, which is now an official FIDE classic control.

I advocate merging 45+45 and 30+30 into 45+30, which is now an official FIDE classic control.

@tpr Are you proposing that the TC of the 4545 Team and/or the LW league be changed to this? What is the problem that you think this would solve?

@tpr Are you proposing that the TC of the 4545 Team and/or the LW league be changed to this? What is the problem that you think this would solve?

"What is the problem that you think this would solve?"
45+45 can take a long time if the number of moves gets > 60
30+30 is not even classical per FIDE definition
45+30 would offer online practice for over the board 45+30
It would also merge the two 30+30 and 45+45 communities

"What is the problem that you think this would solve?" 45+45 can take a long time if the number of moves gets > 60 30+30 is not even classical per FIDE definition 45+30 would offer online practice for over the board 45+30 It would also merge the two 30+30 and 45+45 communities

The "Lone4545" League, or perhaps "4545wolf". Has a nice ring to it!

The "Lone4545" League, or perhaps "4545wolf". Has a nice ring to it!

@tpr said ^

It would also merge the two 30+30 and 45+45 communities

this may come as a surprise to you, but the main difference between those two communities is not the time control.

@tpr said [^](/forum/redirect/post/VZ6xVNot) > It would also merge the two 30+30 and 45+45 communities this may come as a surprise to you, but the main difference between those two communities is not the time control.

@tpr said ^

"What is the problem that you think this would solve?"
30+30 is not even classical per FIDE definition

It is classical (or "standard"), the fastest possible where move recording is mandatory regardless of remaining time. One drawback, though, is that games with this time control can only be FIDE rated if both players have rating lower than 1800. (But the same would be true for 45+30 unless it gets an exception or the regulations are changed in this direction.)

@tpr said [^](/forum/redirect/post/VZ6xVNot) > "What is the problem that you think this would solve?" > 30+30 is not even classical per FIDE definition It is classical (or "standard"), the fastest possible where move recording is mandatory regardless of remaining time. One drawback, though, is that games with this time control can only be FIDE rated if both players have rating lower than 1800. (But the same would be true for 45+30 unless it gets an exception or the regulations are changed in this direction.)

45+30 would offer online practice for over the board 45+30

AFAIK 45+30 is still only allowed (to be rated for players rated 1800 and above) if the event receives an explicit approval from FIDE QC. To quote the announcement: "This change will not automatically apply to all events. It will strictly apply to major or traditional tournaments, approved by the FIDE Qualification Commission (QC).*"

My understanding is that in the near future, this time control can be only expected to be used in few hand picked high level tournaments.

> 45+30 would offer online practice for over the board 45+30 AFAIK 45+30 is still only allowed (to be rated for players rated 1800 and above) if the event receives an explicit approval from FIDE QC. To quote [the announcement](https://www.fide.com/fide-updates-rating-regulations-to-include-faster-time-controls-for-major-events/): "This change will not automatically apply to all events. It will strictly apply to major or traditional tournaments, approved by the FIDE Qualification Commission (QC).*" My understanding is that in the near future, this time control can be only expected to be used in few hand picked high level tournaments.

"Long games are awesome"

Yes, absolutely, I'm looking forward to playing a ~5h OTB match next month. It's 135+15 time control so will very likely go over 4h unless my opponent is very quick or there's an early blunder. I will quite likely be one of the last in my team to finish, that's usually been the case in these matches.

There are also competitions on lichess that use long time controls (such as series) but 4545 isn't one of them, most of the games are under 2h30 (which is the limit for 40 moves). 45+45 isn't intrinsically a long time control, it's just a small proportion of games that randomly and unpredictability turn into marathons. The problem isn't the length per se, it's the unpredictable nature of the length. It's a poor design choice for a game that needs to be scheduled around other constraints and often across time zones.

"Long games are awesome" Yes, absolutely, I'm looking forward to playing a ~5h OTB match next month. It's 135+15 time control so will very likely go over 4h unless my opponent is very quick or there's an early blunder. I will quite likely be one of the last in my team to finish, that's usually been the case in these matches. There are also competitions on lichess that use long time controls (such as series) but 4545 isn't one of them, most of the games are under 2h30 (which is the limit for 40 moves). 45+45 isn't intrinsically a long time control, it's just a small proportion of games that randomly and unpredictability turn into marathons. The problem isn't the length per se, it's the unpredictable nature of the length. It's a poor design choice for a game that needs to be scheduled around other constraints and often across time zones.

@jdannan said ^

"Long games are awesome"

Yes, absolutely, I'm looking forward to playing a ~5h OTB match next month. It's 135+15 time control so will very likely go over 4h unless my opponent is very quick or there's an early blunder. I will quite likely be one of the last in my team to finish, that's usually been the case in these matches.

There are also competitions on lichess that use long time controls (such as series) but 4545 isn't one of them, most of the games are under 2h30 (which is the limit for 40 moves). 45+45 isn't intrinsically a long time control, it's just a small proportion of games that randomly and unpredictability turn into marathons. The problem isn't the length per se, it's the unpredictable nature of the length. It's a poor design choice for a game that needs to be scheduled around other constraints and often across time zones.

I wonder how distribution of game time would look for 135+15 vs 45+45 in practice.

But either way, for me, I do not want "predictably" 5 hour games. My point was about how these long games are special to me and I remember them so well, precisely because they are rare.

I do acknowledge your point about unpredictability, it is a fair one. I didnt try to dispute it in the blog.

For me though, the pros of the time control outweigh the cons.

@jdannan said [^](/forum/redirect/post/xt4nDih7) > "Long games are awesome" > > Yes, absolutely, I'm looking forward to playing a ~5h OTB match next month. It's 135+15 time control so will very likely go over 4h unless my opponent is very quick or there's an early blunder. I will quite likely be one of the last in my team to finish, that's usually been the case in these matches. > > There are also competitions on lichess that use long time controls (such as series) but 4545 isn't one of them, most of the games are under 2h30 (which is the limit for 40 moves). 45+45 isn't intrinsically a long time control, it's just a small proportion of games that randomly and unpredictability turn into marathons. The problem isn't the length per se, it's the unpredictable nature of the length. It's a poor design choice for a game that needs to be scheduled around other constraints and often across time zones. I wonder how distribution of game time would look for 135+15 vs 45+45 in practice. But either way, for me, I do not want "predictably" 5 hour games. My point was about how these long games are special to me and I remember them so well, precisely because they are rare. I do acknowledge your point about unpredictability, it is a fair one. I didnt try to dispute it in the blog. For me though, the pros of the time control outweigh the cons.