From: Larry Kaufman <lkaufman <at> WIZARD <dot> NET>
Date: 6 sep 2000
Subject: Re: Time limits

At 10:56 AM 9/6/00 +0200, DANERUD MARTIN wrote:
>For the Swedish Championship tournament 2001, we intend to use 45 min + 40
s byo-yomi.

     This is reasonable.  It (nearly) conforms to my proposed "rule" (which
Chiaki Ito and George Fernandez seem to agree with) that byoyomi should not
be less than main time.

>I also agree with Larry that the "Fischer clock" would be preferable
compared to byo-yomi time, but I think that we
>just make a natural adaption to Japanese standards by using the byo-yomi
system. It would be interesting to get a
>response from someone representing Nihon Shogi Renmei or any other shogi
official/strong amateur or professional
>commenting on the "Fischer clock" compared to byo-yomi. Has a change ever
been considered or even used in a
>tournament in Japan?

     Standard time limits for pro play are not what we call "byoyomi", but
are more akin to "time delay", which is itself a modification of increment
(a.k.a. "Fischer).  In pro play seconds are not recorded, only minutes,
which is on average equal to a 30" time delay.  There is separate byoyomi;
it is just the term used to describe the situation when only one minute
remains.  So time delay (and arguably even increment) are more like
Japanese pro play than byoyomi!
     However I'm sure than neither pure delay or increment has been used in
Japan, for the simple reason that chess clocks with these features are not
sold in Japan.

 I have even understood that byo-yomi time is necessary for being able to
play rating
games in Europe and the USA.

     If asked I would rule that delay or increment is fully acceptable for
rating, because both do provide for a minimum time per move just like byoyomi.
>
>Sincerely yours,
>
>Dr. Martin Danerud
>
>President of the Swedish Shogi Federation, Vice president of FESA
>
     Larry Kaufman, USSF ratings chairman