Chess Clocks: History, Films and the Heuer Chess Master
How can a simple game stir so many passions? In 1972, when the American Bobby Fischer defeated the Russian Boris Spassky, much of the world stopped to watch the match. Today there are chess clubs, federations and world championships. Between you and me, chess is not played without a clock, and since we use a chess clock, let it at least be a Heuer Chess Master!
Get to know this sport better, the evolution of its clocks and even a few film suggestions.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF CHESS
The history of chess has a disputed origin, but it is possible to say that the game was invented in Asia. Today, the most widely held version is that it emerged in India under the name Chaturanga and from there spread to China, Russia, Persia and Europe, where the current rules were established. Recent research points to a possible origin in China in the 3rd century BC, in the region between Uzbekistan and ancient Persia (present-day Iran).
This 19th-century painting by the Belgian painter Albert Frans shows a couple playing chess with a bored air. At that time chess clocks did not yet exist and games were very long.
THE ORIGIN OF CHESS CLOCKS
For many years chess clocks were not used. In official tournaments, some players would take as long as an hour to make a single move, and games lasted 8 to 9 hours; there are records of games lasting 14 hours and 30 minutes. An alternative found in 1860, in London, was the hourglass, a very practical instrument for this purpose. Each time a move began, one player laid his hourglass down and the other stood his upright. However, humidity greatly affected the performance of the hourglasses, and for that reason mechanical chess clocks, more reliable and accurate, came into use.
In 1883, Thomas Bright Wilson and Joseph Henry Blackburne invented the mechanical chess clock, which was first used at a tournament in London. It was a big step in the right direction towards accurately keeping the length of the game within a time limit; however, there were still drawbacks, including the difficulty of matching the two clocks precisely and the fact that additional time could not easily be added for more complex time controls.
In 1973, the first digital chess clock was invented by Bruce Cheney, a student at Cornell University. The digital clock allowed more sophisticated time control than the analogue clock but, like any prototype, it had some problems. In 1975, Joseph Meshi and Jeffrey Ponsor created the first commercially available digital clock, called the Micromate-80. Three years later, in 1978, an improved clock called the Micromate-180 was produced.
Micromate-180 chess clock
The digital clock was more accurate than the analogue ones and could also be programmed, adding creativity to the way games could be timed. While hourglasses had reduced game times to a few hours, digital clocks meant that players could now play a game in a few minutes, something necessary for rapid chess.
In 1988, world chess champion Bobby Fischer patented an addition to the digital chess clock. According to his idea, each player was given a fixed period of time at the start of the game and a small amount of time after each move, so that players would not run short of time if they needed it later. This timing method is often referred to as “increment”. Put simply, increment means that when it is a player's turn to move a piece, the delay (or increment) is added to that player's remaining time. If the delay is five seconds and the player has ten minutes left, when his clock is activated he will have just ten minutes and five seconds left. Fischer's adaptation of the clock meant that a player could play endgames with more time to think.
HOW CHESS CLOCKS WORK
Chess clocks work on the principle of the hourglass. Mechanical ones, like quartz ones, have two clocks in the same case, one for each player. To play with a mechanical chess clock, the following procedure should be followed:
at the start of the game both clocks are set;
the minute hands are placed in the same position, for example both at minute 55;
between minutes 55 and 60 the minute hand pushes the flag* further and further up until it lets it drop;
the player who is checkmated or whose flag falls loses;
to stop the clock, simply set the two buttons at the same height.
* The flag is a plastic hand, usually red, that is simply fitted onto a small arbor, with no connection to the mechanism.
OUR FAVOURITE - HEUER CHESS MASTER
Although oscillating chess clocks seem very interesting to us, we have fallen for the Heuer Chess Master.
First launched in the 1960s and 70s, Heuer released its own chess clock, the Chess Master. This clock, with a design strongly marked by its era, was presented in two versions, one with a dark aluminium case and another with a beautifully crafted wooden case. Today it is one of the most collectable vintage chess clocks. The gorgeous Chess Master features a high-quality analogue movement which, with good maintenance, can still be very reliable after 50 years.
The phrase that comes to mind is: «Not all analogue chess clocks are beautiful, but all beautiful chess clocks are analogue».
The current revival of the game among young people and the impact of the recent TV series «The Queen's Gambit», in which Heuer's Chess Master plays a leading role, have brought a certain glamour back to the world of chess. According to the New York Times, after the release of this series, sales of chess clocks rose suddenly.
Heuer Chess Master
CHESS IN THE CINEMA
There are countless films and television series about chess; here are a few recommendations:
1 - Searching for Bobby Fischer - film
2 - Magnus - documentary
3 - Brooklyn Castle - documentary - film
4 - Queen of Katwe - film
5 - Bobby Fischer Against the World - film
6 - The Luzhin Defense - film
7 - Pawn Sacrifice - film
HOW TO START PLAYING CHESS?
Would you like to learn chess or even play in a team? Start by finding your favourite chess clock and then get in touch with the Federação Portuguesa de Xadrez, for more information about Masters and available teams.
Comments