English Chess Forum

I've been rereading Botvinnik's One Hundred Selected Games, prompted by this Twitter thread, and I was struck by a note to game 39, Yudovich v Botvinnik, 1934

The last move before the time-check, and, is often the case, inexact.

What's striking about that? The move was Black's 37th - and I don't think I have ever come across a 37-move session before.

The game was played in Leningrad at the "Tournament of Masters with the Participation of Euwe and Kmoch". Is it known whether such a time control was normal in those days, and how much time did the players have for those 37 moves? (And as an aside, are there other time controls known where the number of moves required to be made is a prime number?)

The time-check's being at move 37 doesn't necessarily mean the time control was then, mind. People often go past the time control when blitzing.

IM Jack Rudd wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:12 pm

The time-check's being at move 37 doesn't necessarily mean the time control was then, mind. People often go past the time control when blitzing.

30 moves in two hours was a popular time control in the 1930s and in recent years, county matches have been 35 moves in 105 minutes. Quitel ikely the time control was move 30 or 35, or even the old league favourite of 36 (in 90 minutes)

Maybe, but I think that if Botvinnik's error had been after the control due to blitzing, he might well have said so.

I do not have any direct evidence regarding the time control for Leningrad 1934.

However a time control at the 37th move was used in Moscow 1935 (won by Botvinnik and Flohr ahead of Lasker and Capablanca).

6. Time for thinking: for the first 37 moves - 2 1/2 hours, for every 15 moves after that - one hour (with accumulation of time). Thus a control check of the chess clocks will take place after the 37th move, the 52nd, the 67th, the 82nd and so on.

Source: page 24 of Moscow 1935 International Chess Tournament (Translated by Jimmy Adams and Sarah Hurst: Caissa Editions, Yorklyn, DE 1998). From the Section "Programme of the Second Moscow International Chess Tournament" at pages 23-25.

Moscow 1936 (won by Capablanca ahead of Botvinnik) had a probably more usual first time limit at the 40th move.

Thinking time: for the first 40 moves - 2 1/2 hours, for each subsequent 16 moves - 1 hour [togther (sic) with the accumulated time]. Thus the control shown on the chess clocks falls after the 40th move, 56th, the 72nd, etc.

Source: page 6 of Moscow 1936 International Chess Tournament (Translated and edited by Jimmy Adams: Caissa Editions, Yorklyn, DE 1988). From the Section "Programme of the Third Moscow International Chess Tournament at pages 5-6.

Excellent: thanks very much, David. (I've asked Doug Grffin on Twitter if he knows specifically the time control for the Leningrad tournament, though my guess is that it's the one you've identitified.)

Any more prime number controls?

The Bradford League had a time control of 37 moves in an hour and a quarter before the introduction of digital clocks. To be strictly accurate, we still do. From https://www.bradfordchess.co.uk/resourc ... 202019.pdf

16. If no digital clocks are available, the alternative time control of 3 hours at the rate of 37
moves in 1 1/4 hours shall be used. After Black's 37th move the clocks shall be turned
back 15 minutes and all the remaining moves are to be completed in the time available,
unless both captains agree otherwise before commencement of the match. ECF blitz
finish rules apply in all cases.

"The Bradford League had a time control of 37 moves in an hour and a quarter before the introduction of digital clocks. To be strictly accurate, we still do. "

Good grief - so those of us who try to assign a rough value to how many moves we intend to make in each 15 minute period have to be a bit inventive.

I wonder if the 37 moves were combined with 23 in the next session to make a more familiar 60 in all?

37 in 2 1/2 hrs. and 37 in 1 1/4 hrs. make sense in that your are trying to get to 4 mins per move in a 5 hr. session and 2 mins per move in a 2 1/2 hr. session.

In both cases it seems a shame the logic was not pursued further to put the time control at 37 1/2 moves, i.e. after White's 37th.