How to Calculate the Effect of Bonus Time

Submitted by DrawMaster on Sun, 05/03/2009 at 4:23pm.

After you've played in Live Chess for a few days or more, you recognize that there are three separately rated game types: Quick, Blitz, and Long. You also note that time controls of 1 0 and 2 0 games are Quick, that 3 0 through 14 0 are Blitz, and 15 0 and beyond are rated as Long games. So far, so good.

But what about 2 12, where the 12 provides for 12 bonus seconds after each move? It is Quick? No, it's not. It's Blitz. How about 3 17? How about 3 18? Yes, these are very odd time controls, but wouldn't you like to know how to tell which times controls yield what type of game?

Here's how:

Effective Time, minutes = Minutes + 2/3 * (Bonus Seconds), in minutes.

Thus, 2 12 is really 2 + 2/3 * 12 = 2 + 8 = 10 effective minutes, thus Blitz.

And 3 18 is really 3 + 2/3 * 18 = 3 + 12 = 15 effective minutes, thus Long.

My favorite time control is 10 7, or 10 + 2/3 * 7 = 14 minutes, thus Blitz.

So, by using this formula you can create the exact kind of time control you want (lots of base time versus lots of bonus time) and make sure that the effective time fits into the rating group you want it to.

Have fun. And Quick/Blitz/Long yourself to some sweet chess.

(BTW: Sometimes lag correction can look like the action of bonus time even for games with no increment.)

» posted in DrawMaster's Blog

| 428 reads | 5 comments

Comments:

by getscoped - 26 days ago
Merritt Island United States

Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 1

Thank you very much; I always wondered why I never got bonus time at the end of my regulation time and now I understand what it is all about. Pretty cool, actually. And more than your article, the comment you made to bobbobbob really helps to explain it best. Thank you again.

by pdmura - 3 months ago
Glendale, AZ United States

Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 309

Very interesting! I had never given it a lot of thought before but your equations make sense. I have friends who play a lot of speed chess at work (mostly during breaks ) using Freechess.org and the Babbas client. They will be interested in your ideas so I will share them! Thanks!

by DrawMaster - 3 months ago
United States

Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 545

bobobbob, I'm not sure what you mean by it's the same thing.

There is a specific and valuable difference between games played with no bonus time and games played with bonus time. Adding bonus time to a game give you a guarantee that if you can make a move within the alloted bonus seconds, the clock can never run out on you. This, of course, is NOT true of games with 0 seconds bonus. So, if I have a sure win against another player and I have only 2 seconds left on my clock but it will take be another 14 moves to checkmate my opponent, if I have even 1 second bonus time provided I can get all 14 moves in as long as I take no longer than 1 second to make each move. That's a distinct value over a game with 0 bonus seconds and the same 14 moves to make. Oh, yes, I could perhaps survive using premove, but then I will be making moves without knowing what my opponent's move is - a very dangerous way to have to finish out the game.

So, bonus time definitely has value here.

Another value of bonus time is this: If I'm worried about an opponent trying to let his clock run out in a very very long game, leaving me to have to wait for an hour to see if he actually makes a move - if I had instead of using 120 0 time control had used say 10 60, I would likely not have to sit around for nearly two hours.

So, again bonus time can be a valuable difference to no bonus time.

Of course, your mileage may vary.