What time control(s) does your League use?

[John Upham]

As part of my continued crusade to consign adjudication and adjournment to the ECF history books I am doing a little research as to current trends in time controls for evening leagues.

The Surrey Border League is (thankfully) moving toward Fischer (60' plus 30") and this is the default for Division One this season.

Divs 2 - 4 defaults to 90/36+adj but there is an option for G90

Div 5 is G90, Div 6 is G75 and Div 7 is R40. So, quite a mismash.

Berkshire League has options of 75'/30 + 15 or 90/36 +adj.

Players who play in both can get confused from time to time.

What TCs does your League use?

[Roger de Coverly]

Berkshire League has options of 75'/36 + 15 or 90/36 +adj.

Actually Berkshire is 75/30 + 15 (div 1/2) G/75 (div 3). The 90/36 + adjournment is only if both players ask for it. Adjudications have been abolished.

Buckinghamshire is 75/35 + 15 no options

Chiltern (Saturday county matches Bucks/Berks/Hants/Oxon) is 90/36 + 30 no options

SCCU county matches are still (I think) 105/35 + 30 no options

[David Tebb]

The Merseyside and Wirral Leagues both use a time control of 35 moves in 75 minutes plus 15 minutes for the remaining moves.

We used to have adjudications (I was an adjudicator) until about 10 years ago, when we abandoned them for an allegro finish.

I think that only a couple of clubs in our leagues use digital clocks, so a Fischer time control is probably a long way off.

[Ian Kingston]

Notts League: 75/35 +15 to a finish

Derby & District League: 75/30 +15 to a finish

Both are effectively G90, but the latter always feels more comfortable.

[John Philpott]

The Essex League is changing for 2008/9. Hitherto the rules have prescribed 90/36 followed by adjournment or adjudication unless both players wanted a quickplay finish (75/30 + 15). For next season a one session format has been adopted of 60/24 + 30.

[Peter Shaw]

A few examples from Yorkshire:

Huddersfield League uses 35/70'+20'. Adjournments were eliminated in 1995 thankfully, just as I started playing in that league.
Sheffield League uses 30/60'+15', which is good for an earlier finish!
Bradford League uses 37/75'+15'.

I played one game in the Harrogate league in 2004, using a time control of 24/60'+30', which I think is better than all the above.

[Sean Hewitt]

Leicestershire Divs 1-2 : 35/70' + 20'
Leicestershire Divs 3-5 : 40/80' then adjudication
Coventry : 30/75' + 15'

[Mick Norris]

Manchester 30/75 mins, 15 or 20 min finish
Central Lancs 35/75 mins, 15 min finish
East Lancs 35/75 mins, 15/15 min then adjudication
Bury & Rochdale 35/75 mins, 15 min finish
Bolton 30/75 mins, 15 to 30 min finish depending on club

[IM Jack Rudd]

Bristol League: All in 90 minutes. Alternatively, if both players agree, 36 moves in 90 minutes followed by 24 moves/hour thereafter.

North Devon League: 36 moves in 90 minutes with a 20 minute allegro finish.

[James Toon]

For the leagues I'm involved in...

London League - 36/90 followed by adjournment, or (if both agree) 30/75 followed by R15.
London Civil Service League - 36/90 followed by adjudication, or (if both agree) 30/75 followed by R15.
London Commercial League - 30/75 followed by 7/15 followed by adjudication.
London Combined Banks & Insurance League - 30/75 followed by R20.
Middlesex League - 36/90 followed by R15.

[carstenpedersen]

The time limit James Toon mentions for the Middlesex league only applies to Athenaeum home matches!

Other venues are either 30/60 +15 or 30/75 +15 depending on start times. If both players agree it can be 30/75 or 36/90 (I think) + adjournment.

Carsten

[RichardPalliser]

Further to Peter Shaw's post, the York League is all in either 80 or 90 minutes, the Leeds League 35 in 75 + all in 15, and the Yorkshire League (played on Saturdays) 42 in 105 + all in 15. Both of York and Leeds also have rapidplay leagues.
Personally I'm not so keen on all moves in x minutes, unless its a rapidplay event. Many players really struggle to budget their time I've found. Surely it's better to gain an extra 15-30 minutes at some point just in case one does have to play an ending?

[Phil Neatherway]

Oxfordshire League - all the moves in 90 minutes. I agree with what Richard Palliser says. Previously, the time limit was 35 in 75 followed by a 15 minute quickplay. I've noticed that under the new time limit, a lot of palyers have made less than 35 moves by the time 75 minutes are up, meaning they would have lost on time under the old rule.

[Greg Breed]

In our very small Hillingdon Borough Chess League we have two time controls:
The default is 30 moves in 1 hour 15mins plus 1 hour for another 24 moves plus 15min RP finish. This is so that the adjournment finishes on the second night.

Optional rapid-play setting is currently 30 moves in 1 hour + 15 mins RP finish. Both players have to agree otherwise the default is used. It used to be all moves in 75mins but was recently changed to the wind-back version to reflect other local leagues.

Personally, I'd love digital clocks to become the norm and Fischer times used. I think 30 moves in 60mins +30sec/per move is great.

[Tim Spanton]

Oxfordshire League - all the moves in 90 minutes. I agree with what Richard Palliser says. Previously, the time limit was 35 in 75 followed by a 15 minute quickplay. I've noticed that under the new time limit, a lot of palyers have made less than 35 moves by the time 75 minutes are up, meaning they would have lost on time under the old rule.

Yes, but why have two time scrambles when you only need one?