timed out, pissed off

An opponent sent me a rather pathetic email after I timed him/her out in the grand split tournament. Though I can't positively remember whether I sent him a reminder, usually I do in such circumstances, and assume I did in this case. That's rather besides the point anyhow. At any rate, I object to their tenor, their insinuation that I was losing both games (which I patently was not), and that somehow I did them wrong by timing them out, though it was entirely within my rights. Any feedback/suggestions?

The bad vibe on T/Os is getting sillly. The admins added the timebank specifically to give people te ability to miss the timeout time on the oddd occation during a game. This is enough leeway. I am totally in favour of automatic timeouts in all games as soon as the timebank empties. That way it is like an OTB game: your clock runs out, you loose. And it is nobody's fault but your own.

Or even better, get rid on the time-out and vacation feature completely.

Keep the time-bank, and when it's used up, the game is over automatically. No grace period, nothing.....

The number of days in the time bank would be entered by the person who sets up the game. If the other player doesn't think it's enough extra time, they just don't accept the game.

Maybe that would work.

you do need a time per move for two reasons:
one: time delay. playing from one side of the world to the other is going to add 12hrs a move.
two: timebank only would tend to blitz games: people wouldn't take the time that correspondance chess wants: you are meant to play better in correspondance chess than you do OTB!

But I would be up for zero days as a time per move option, so if you did want a timebank only game, the choice is there for you to take.

You're right of course. I didn't totally think that through and read it before posting.

What I really meant is that I would be happy to just see it become automatic. When the time-out and time bank both hit zero, the software claims the win and ends it right away.

What about having immediate auto-timeout as a "New Game" option, and making it standard for tournaments?

Meanwhile, please, Russ, can we have one-day and zero timeouts as "New Game" options?

Frankly, I think it's really bad form to whine about timeouts nowadays. Maybe, I say MAYBE, a few months ago when a person would play 3 day timeouts with no time bank and claim it the MOMENT the clock ran out, but now with time bank, there is really no excuse.

In any event, I feel that if you start a game, you are tacitly agreeing to that games rules. If one of the rules is that a time out is valid after a certain period, then so be it. If you don't like it, DON'T PLAY. If you only want to play games with 14 day timeouts and 28 day time banks, then set your preferences that way.

I enjoy chess as much as anyone and, although I stink, I try to take each game as seriously as my mind can handle. That having been said, my record or even how badly I might play in a game doesn't go on my resume, doesn't affect my salary, and doesn't impact how I am with the ladies (thank goodness). Except for the rare "Chess-stud," people need to keep this game and site in its proper perspective. And, no doubt, the aforementioned stud would NEVER let his game timeout.

Nemesio

It's all well and good you bemoaning the timebank, just wait till you go on holiday for two weeks and get timed out on your 98 games in progress. It would take you 3 months to recover your rating.

Originally posted by marinakatomb
It's all well and good you bemoaning the timebank, just wait till you go on holiday for two weeks and get timed out on your 98 games in progress. It would take you 3 months to recover your rating.

So? You know it in advance. It is though but fair. And nobody says that you cannot be sad or angry about it. But not with your opponent, because he/she didn't do anything wrong!
For me it only shows that you should have chosen your games more carefully (if you do care about your rating that is). For example only with >14 day timebank or so.

Maybe I talk differently after my own holiday 😀

Originally posted by marinakatomb
It's all well and good you bemoaning the timebank, just wait till you go on holiday for two weeks and get timed out on your 98 games in progress. It would take you 3 months to recover your rating.

Tell me about i lost 50 games when i went on holiday for two weeks and my rating went down to nearly 700 which i have scrambled back up now. Doesnt make my wins and losses stats any better.

What do people think to having a set number of vaction days normally around 25 days as the maxium you can use in a year for most peoples holidays. Maybe a further 5 for bank holidays etc so a maximum of 30 days. If this flag is on even in tournaments it means you cant be timed out, it also stops people putting their vaction flag on whenever they feel like it because they only have a selected number of days. The Vaction flag could work in exactly the same way as the timebank does it reduces as you use it. That way you have ample time with timebanks to complete your games.

What do we think guys ?????



Croc 😕

Fine idea 😉

One thing I want to chime in - I honestly feel no one has the right to complain about being timed out. I mean, they know when they signed up for a tourney what the time out was, and they know if they accept a game what the time out was.

I NEVER time out someone if they tell me they're going away - that way I know they didnt abandon the site or whatever.

Heck - and as far as vacation goes - unless this is a sneak attack vacation, you've got some time to up your settings and prepare for the vacations arrival, so you dont timeout. Like put longer minimums on your site settings.

I'm all for the automatic timeout/endgame option, if Russ puts it in, thats cool with me. It could perhaps be bypassed by a vacation setting, not sure about the limitations Russ could add.

What it comes down to - to me - if someone just disappears for two or three weeks at a time, and accepts a 7 day timebank, then thats their responsibility.

The only feasible vacation setting in this light is the following:

The player enters the time he will be away and enters a message. Then, everything by this user will be suspended in the period he entered, with a maximum of, say, four weeks per year. This user cannot log in during this period, and cannot log in until this period is over. Also, the games will be suspended, so the timers will not run further and the opponent cannot claim the game.

This way, the player cannot abuse it by putting on his vacation settings and go play anyway to prevent claims. Furthermore, by applying a maximum (per year) the player cannot uphold any tournament or clan challenge for more than the alotted period.
Of course, as with any proposal, there are loopholes (which I will not mention 😀), but it is more watertight than the setting is now.

Originally posted by Croc
What do people think to having a set number of vaction days normally around 25 days as the maxium you can use in a year for most peoples holidays. Maybe a further 5 for bank holidays etc so a maximum of 30 days. If this flag is on even in tournaments it means you cant be timed out, it also stops people putting their vaction flag on whenever they feel like it be ...[text shortened]... ample time with timebanks to complete your games.

What do we think guys ?????



Croc 😕

This is typically what happens in email and postal correspondence. Each person has a certain number of vacation days, etc., and their time does not run down during that period.

Since this has worked well in other settings, I think it's a good idea for this site. Limiting the number of vacation days per year really does curtail abuse and make the vacation flag meaningful. Right now all it means is "pay attention, flagger, because I'm likely to time out."