I highly recommend the DGT 3000. It has an extremely detailed and readable display, and is super easy to set. It comes with many presets (which you probably will rarely use to be honest), but also has several slots to store your own presets, which is useful if you often play different time controls. It supports multiple time controls, and has Fischer, Bronstein, and US delays. It also is able to count moves and can switch to the next time control automatically, but I would recommend not using that and have it switch to the next time control when the time runs out, because it is possible that someone forgets to press the clock or they have to press the clock twice for one move if they had to take back an illegal move for example, so the move counter might be wrong.
Sorry if this reads like an ad. I'm not sponsored, I promise, I just really like the DGT 3000!
I've been using the North American clocks for over a decade.
@AsDaGo said in #21:
> I highly recommend the DGT 3000. It has an extremely detailed and readable display, and is super easy to set. It comes with many presets (which you probably will rarely use to be honest), ....
Just about all features you described exist in all DGT clocks still in sale and I am sure LEAP timer and matching functionality . Pre-sets differ a bit but all several pre-programmable sets as well.
I does look better screen is very readable.
All are pain in the butt program. Why earth they don't have bluetooth and a app for programming?
@petri999 said in #23:
> I does look better screen is very readable.
Yeah, that's really the main selling point, along with it being very easy to set. You could figure it out pretty easily without even reading the instructions (but you probably should read the instructions just in case).
> All are pain in the butt program.
Have you tried the DGT 3000? It's the easiest to set by far out of any clock I've seen. To be fair, I'm sure other clocks aren't hard if you actually know how to set them, but they're less intuitive to figure out.
> Why earth they don't have bluetooth and a app for programming?
They do have clocks like that I think, but I don't have a phone so that wouldn't help me.
@AsDaGo said in #24:
> Have you tried the DGT 3000? It's the easiest to set by far out of any clock I've seen. To be fair, I'm sure other clocks aren't hard if you actually know how to set them, but they're less intuitive to figure out.
>
I programmed every single DGT since DGT2000 and when you have to do something like
60 minutes + 30sec/move and addition 10 minutes at move 40 with same increment or different for about 30 clocks before tournament starts I can tell you : They ALL Suck.
I like tournaments with time limit that is in the presets
To best of my knowledge only in USA people bring their own clocks to tournaments. I am probably wrong but I haven't heard tournament with participants dragging their own equipment with them.
@petri999 said in #25:
> I programmed every single DGT since DGT2000 and when you have to do something like
> 60 minutes + 30sec/move and addition 10 minutes at move 40 with same increment or different for about 30 clocks before tournament starts I can tell you : They ALL Suck.
If you're setting 30 clocks, I could see that, for sure. I could see how Bluetooth could help with that. I've never run a tournament myself so I've only had to set my own clock, and it takes me probably 30 seconds if that to set something like 40/90, SD/30 d30 if I don't have it already saved.
> To best of my knowledge only in USA people bring their own clocks to tournaments. I am probably wrong but I haven't heard tournament with participants dragging their own equipment with them.
I'm from the USA and I can confirm that pretty much all the big tournaments require you to bring your own set (some smaller ones provide them). It would be a huge amount of work for the TDs to set up every single set and clock, not to mention the cost of the equipment. In the US Amateur Team East for example, there's probably only around 1 TD for every 100 people.
@petri999 said in #25:
> They ALL Suck.
I totally agree. Even in our chess club, setting the clocks is a pain. Nobody remembers the codes for the different modes. Yes, it is printed on the lower side, in like 5 pt font with low contrast. So now you need to take out your phone with light and magnifier...
You need to press so many buttons, poor guidance on the display...
But still, it works, and three are no better alternatives around, I guess. And once you know how to set the most commonly used programs, your job is just not to forget that. Good luck!
While it would be nice to have modern displays, maybe with touch screen, we must not forget that those clocks need to run for a long time on batteries. And we are talking days here... the batteries last months or maybe even years, which is quite impressive.
> To best of my knowledge only in USA people bring their own clocks to tournaments. I am probably wrong but I haven't heard tournament with participants dragging their own equipment with them.
From a European point of view this looks absurd. Also, you play with different equipment every other game. You play with your opponents favourite set (or crappy travel set), and potentially with a different clock in every round. What a nightmare, also for the arbiters.
On the other hand, it makes it so much easier to organise and run a tournament. Only requiring a location with tables and chairs is all that's needed really. Getting / renting material, storing it, setting it up, looking after it, etc. is quite a barrier to get a tournament going.
@AsDaGo said in #21:
> Sorry if this reads like an ad. I'm not sponsored, I promise, I just really like the DGT 3000!
I can agree that DGT 3000 is well designed but there is always space for improvement. For me, a perfect clock would be a combination of the good properties of DGT 3000 and DGT 2500. I really hope DGT comes with some "3500" model that will be built on 3000 logic (independent settings of periods, multiple fully configurable custom slots), will support connection to an e-board but will also implement the improvements of the 2500 model (better display contrast and more readable digits, lever with top in the color of the clock so that's it's easier to recognize who is to move from a distance, quick review of current time control, setting both times with first player, quick "add 1 minute" feature).
> It has an extremely detailed and readable display
Detailed yes, readable... not so much. The digit segments are very think and "disconnected" and the contrast could be better. As long as you sit at the board it's OK but once you watch someone else's game or stand up, 3000 is not great at all, even 2010 is easier to read, perhaps even XL. (But I hate any clock that does not show seconds from the start.) Just put 3000, 2500 and 2010 next to each other and take a look from 3-5 meters, it's a big difference.
@petri999 said in #23:
> All are pain in the butt program. Why earth they don't have bluetooth and a app for programming?
@AsDaGo said in #24:
> They do have clocks like that I think,
I have stumbled upon ChessEvolution Premium clock (https://chess-evolution.com/product/ce-premium-clock/ ) in an e-shop. I have never seen it in practice, though. The pictures are a bit disturbing, I certainly hope what is shown there is just what you see when setting the clock and that much bigger digits are shown while playing.
> ...but I don't have a phone so that wouldn't help me.
Yes, the unfortunate "smartphone mentality": assumption that "everyone" has a smartphone, has it with them all the time and want to use it for everything. A smartphone "app" can come handy at times but I would much rather prefer a well defined (and, ideally, universal) protocol so that you can easily integrate it into existing software or write your own software to control it.
@AsDaGo said in #26:
> If you're setting 30 clocks, I could see that, for sure. I could see how Bluetooth could help with that.
Well, I'm a bit sceptical about using bluetooth on a mass scale in a room with tens (or even hundreds) of devices. But if it works reliably enough, it would be a great help when setting clocks for a tournament. Even better if it also allows monitoring the clocks during the game(s) so that you could easily automate recording the clock state periodically.
@petri999 said in #25:
> To best of my knowledge only in USA people bring their own clocks to tournaments. I am probably wrong but I haven't heard tournament with participants dragging their own equipment with them.
@nadjarostowa said in #27:
> From a European point of view this looks absurd.
I haven't seen it in bigger classical or rapid open tournaments but in our country (Czech Republic) it sometimes happens in smaller local rapid tournaments or regional kid tournaments. (Not all of them, it depends on the organizing club.) The rule usually is "one set for every odd player" meaning each group (usually players from the same club coming together) has to bring half of their count rounded up.
> Also, you play with different equipment every other game ... and potentially with a different clock in every round.
That can (and does) happen even in tournaments where the equipment is provided by organizers. Even in (relatively) big tournaments like Prague Open or Czech Open, they didn't have the same boards, piece sets and clocks everywhere.
> What a nightmare, also for the arbiters.
Here it's mostly DGT 2010, 3000 and XL so when you are familiar with these three, you are mostly fine. Sadly, 2500 is still quite rare. On the other hand I have also seen some DGT 2000 and also more exotic stuff like Saitek Mephisto and once also a Leap model (likely https://www.sachovezbozi.cz/digitalni-sachove-hodiny/digitalni-sachove-hodiny-leap/ ).
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