In the beginning, chess players had to rely on the reasonableness and decency of their opponents. As a result, waiting for the next move was sometimes an ordeal. Wilhelm Steinitz (World Champion 1886-94) once resigned because an opponent took unbearably long to move.
During an 1860 match between Ignac Kolisch — one of the world’s leading players — and George Medley, the first player consumed two hours to make three consecutive moves. Not long afterwards, Medley became one of the first to advocate the use of a chess timing device.
The first chess timers often involved the use of sand glasses. Mechanical devices, which developed at about the same time, gradually evolved into today’s high-tech digital chess clock.
As much as timing devices have added to competitive play, they have a down side. Measuring and limiting each player’s time has let the dreaded genie of time pressure out of the bottle. Even superbly conducted games can disintegrate in seconds when players are short of time. “Time pressure,” Garry Kasparov once told me, “is terrible. The game is no longer chess.”
Nevertheless, clocks have greatly enriched the game. Modern tournament chess–including events that have a mixed format of standard time and rapid-play–would be impossible without them.
Here is a victory by former women’s world champion Xie Jun over Ketevan Arachamia from the recent Women’s Candidates Tournament in Holland:
Xie Jun ………. Arakhamia
1. e4 ………… c5
2. Nf3 ……….. e6
3. d4 ………… cxd4
4. Nxd4 ………. Nf6
5. Nc3 ……….. d6
6. Be2 ……….. Be7
7. O-O ……….. Nc6
8. Kh1 ……….. a6
9. a4 ………… O-O
10. f4 ……….. Qc7
11. Be3 ………. Re8
12. Bf3 ………. Rb8
13. g4 ……….. Nxd4
14. Bxd4 ……… e5
15. fxe5 ……… dxe5
16. Ba7 ………. Ra8
17. g5 ……….. Rd8
18. Qe2 ………. Ne8
19. Be3 ………. Be6
20. Qf2 ………. R(d)c8
21. Bg4 ………. Nd6
22. Bxe6 ……… fxe6
23. g6 ……….. hxg6
24. Qg2 ………. Rf8
25. Qxg6 ……… Bf6
26. Qg4 ………. R(a)e8
27. Rf3 ………. Qc4
28. Rg1 ………. Re7
29. Rh3 ………. b5
30. Qg6 ………. b4
31. Rh6 ………. bxc3
32. Qh7ch …….. Kf7
33. Rxf6ch ……. Black resigns(a)
Note (a): If . . . Kxf6, then 34. Qg6 mate. Or . . . Ke8 34. Rxf8ch Kxf8 35. Qh8ch Kf7 36. Rxg7ch Kf6 37. Bg5 mate.
