Heresy the First: Chess Clocks in Magic are Necessary

This is a reworking of the article I first published in 2005. It outlines my heretical belief that Magic not only can work with chess clocks, but that current policy is unnecessarily warped by not exploring this option. I have never denied being a heretic on this issue, but I haven't been as forceful about it in a public forum as I will be now. (If you ever see me post, "I won't go into my usual rant about using chess clocks in Magic," it's because I don't want to type the entirety of this article in that spot.)
Throughout the history of Magic there have been people who have suggested chess clocks. Each time, the suggestion has been rejected, for various reasons. I have never understood the arguments, and I think that clocks would solve more problems than they create. This is an attempt to examine the situation as it stands and offer reasonable answers to the objections against their use.
There are several standard reasons given for not using chess clocks. One argument is based on inertia, claiming there is no need to do anything when the current system works. Some objectors cite cost issues, claiming that we shouldn't place a high cost burden on organizers or on the players. But the main complaint is that chess clocks won't work in Magic, and it runs along the lines of, "Given all the times a person can pass priority during a turn, there is no way that clocks can be implemented. If you don't believe me, try doing MTG Online with all stops enabled." I will examine each of these in detail.

Do we have a sufficient system already?In bridge tournaments, there is no chess clock governing each team's bidding and play. You are given approximately seven minutes per hand to bid and play it (except during major events, where more time is usually given). When the time is called, the current hand is finished, and if there are other hands that haven't been played yet, the director (i.e. judge) can either assign a "late play" (meaning the missing hand will be played after the usual session) or an artificial result (which is normally the average score a player can receive, possibly modified up or down by 10% based on a judgment of who is at fault for the problem).

Although this has been the way of the world for bridge, it's not a perfect solution, even there. If you limit yourself to one "problem round" per session, it's not that hard to run one "late play" that happens after the match is over and be "a bit late" on several others. Furthermore, bridge can get away with this, as most of the events don't have Swiss pairings. Each team and each hand moves in a defined pattern, which you can continue into the next round while the slower players finish the previous one. The policy, in effect does not punish slow play so much as play around it.

So does this really convert to Magic? Some games of Magic are over in a single turn, while others take 100 or more. Some games are extremely balanced where neither player can advance because they have enough resources to counter each others' plans. These games will last until someone manages to draw the one card that can't be stopped, and if it's four cards from the bottom of the deck, whose fault is this that the game lasts 40 minutes? Should a person resign just to leave enough time for another game (or two)? What if one person attacks "meaninglessly" into a Platinum Angel? Should he be punished for taking an action whose only result seems to be to tap a creature and "burn" up to 30 seconds off the match time? Should the opponent be punished for building a deck that can't win in under 15 minutes? These are the questions that come up in tournament events now, and they can all be directly attributed to the fact that both players are drawing time from the same match clock.

It is true that we've been playing without clocks for several years now, and that there haven't been major meltdowns. But anyone who has a deck that plays quickly and is running up against time pressure because of the opponent knows the situation is problematic. So, while the current system hasn't blown up yet, it isn't so error-free as to preclude looking at alternatives.

Who is going to pay for all these clocks?If the organizers want to, they can provide clocks. I am not expecting that to happen, though, as this doesn't even happen at chess events. However, a valid chess clock (see below what I mean by that) can be had new for under $50, which you can't say for a box of any Standard-legal set. The cost for a player isn't that much more than what is already being paid.

Of course, all this assumes that the chess clocks were mandated. I don't have to assume that. I would allow anyone with a valid clock to request that all their matches use a clock, and run the normal method for the other matches. After seeing both methods in action, I am convinced that clocks would become more popular.

So how do you handle all those passes?This is the most common objection I receive against clock use. It usually is phrased something like, "Take a situation where a person is sitting on less than one minute on their side. What stops the opponent from moving through every single change of priority, forcing that person to waste time reacting to each one?" or "In MTG Online, you can get the person who uses Seeker of Skybreak to untap itself. Since you would have to respond to each activation (even if the board position appears unchanged), a person who falls behind on time can be drained to nothing and lose."

The answer lies in three related ideas. First, we already have procedures in place for dealing with people who deliberately waste time. Judges are already capable of handling the extreme cases by means of penalties for slow play, stalling, and trying to take advantage of a time limit. When a chess clock is involved, slow play and stalling only penalize the person being slow, and thus special rules for it don't need to be created. And as the only time limit you can control is your own, the only way you can take advantage of a time limit is to play faster, which is exactly what we want to encourage.

Second, the shortcuts we already use are adequate for keeping most games at a reasonable pace. Without them, even a normal match could not be completed in the time allotted. It is already common for a person to draw a card, possibly play a land and end the turn. We understand what this means, and if the opponent wants to do something during such a turn, we know how to make this happen. Furthermore, if an opponent insisted on declaring everything just to run out the clock, the judges are already poised to deal with it. If I saw someone repeatedly tap a Seeker of Skybreak to untap itself, I am quite willing and able to call a judge to deal with it. The presence of the clock doesn't change that option. If a person who has been doing the "draw, go" turns above now suddenly wants to declare every single stop just because I have less than one minute and he has five, that's worthy of a judge call as well. Again, the procedures already in place handle these.

And third, we can take advantage of the newer chess clock technology. Many tournaments nowadays operate with "delay" clocks. These clocks, once the button is pressed to switch priority from one player to another, wait anywhere from 2-5 seconds (the exact time depends on the type of event - blitz games have a limit closer to 2 seconds, whereas games with very long time controls usually have a 5 second delay) before the time starts coming off the player's allotment. So if the response is made (and the clock is pressed) before the delay period expires, no time is lost. If a person wants to do the Seeker of Skybreak trick, he needs to announce the ability, including the fact that it's targeting itself, tap the creature to pay for the ability, and then hit the clock. All I have to do is hit the clock to send it back. Then, he has to untap the creature and repeat the process. Again, all I have to do is hit the clock. I know I can pass within two seconds, so a delay timer of at least that size means that I won't lose any time. I can't guarantee that the opponent won't lose time, and even if he doesn't, we're still going nowhere. Furthermore, I can adopt the Magic Online approach, where an option exists to never respond to that ability. As I said above, this is already covered under current procedures, but even so, the delay timer means that I don't have to worry about it.

In fact, if I am in a game with a delay clock and I get into a time crunch, it's probably to my advantage to find as many stops as I can and use them. Each one gives me a few more seconds of time that is not coming off my clock, so I may, by doing the thing that supposedly harms me, find the time to think of something I wouldn't have otherwise. This to me is the ultimate proof of the emptiness of the original argument.

Other derived benefits of using clocksIf clocks are used, we no longer have to worry about how much time we give for delays in handling deck checks and judge calls, as we can simply pause the clock and resume when the situation is resolved. Also, there would be a simple procedure for determining the penalty for not arriving to a match on time. The person who is there simply starts the game clock for each game. If the opponent arrives during that time, that game continues with that much time lost for the person who arrived late. If a game clock expires, that is a game loss for the person who has not yet arrived. Enough game losses will translate into a match loss. If neither opponent is there, the judge can note the time and deduct it from each person until one shows up, and assign double game losses or match losses as necessary. The five-turn rule would become meaningless and vanish.

Rules for Using Clocks (version 2.0)
In the time since the last iteration, I have made a few changes to the rules I would suggest for using a clock. Here is my latest attempt:

Use of Chess Clocks at Magic events

1.      Section 1:  Definitions

a.       A chess clock is defined as a device that keeps a timer for two players, such that no more than one player’s timer is working at any given time.

b.      A simple delay function is a feature of a chess clock that, after a player has passed the clock, delays deducting time from the opponent’s clock for a predetermined period of time. If the person whose time would now run manages to complete his or her action before the full time of the delay passes, no time is removed from his or her clock.

c.       A Bronstein delay function is a feature of a chess clock that, after a player has passed the clock but before the opponent’s time begins, adds time onto the active player’s clock equal to the lesser of:

                                                               i.      The amount of time since the clock was passed to the player, or

                                                             ii.      The delay time defined before the game starts.

d.      Passing the clock is defined as invoking the mechanism that causes the timer controlling the current active player’s turn to stop, and engaging the simple or Bronstein delay function.

e.      Stopping the clock is defined as invoking the mechanism that causes both timers to stop (along with any timer associated with a delay function) , usually as either a prelude to calling for a judge or to signify a game is complete.

f.        Flag fall occurs when one or both players exceed their allotted time for game completion.

2.     Section 2:   Conditions of Use

a.       A player who wants to use a chess clock for all his or her matches must bring one with either a simple delay function or Bronstein delay function.

b.      When registering for the event, the player must inform the head judge about the clock and his or her desire to use it for the event.

c.       The head judge may inspect any chess clock prior to its use in the event. Improper or defective clocks may be removed from the event at the head judge’s discretion. In addition, the head judge may remove the clock if, in his or her determination, the player who brought it does not have sufficient understanding of how to use it.

3.       Section 3: Setting up for the match

a.       If neither player in a match has a clock, the match proceeds normally. If at least one player has a clock, the following procedures are used instead of the normal rules for timing Magic events.

b.      When only one player has a clock, that clock is used. If two players with proper clocks play each other, determine who plays first. The player who does not make the choice about who plays first instead chooses which player’s clock will be used and where it will be placed in the play area. The clock must be set in a place where both players have access to it.

c.       Once this is done, the pre-game procedures below are followed to start the first game.

4.     Section 4:  Pre-game procedures

a.       If the clock in question has both a simple delay function and a Bronstein delay function, the simple delay function is used. Otherwise, use whichever of the two functions the clock has.

b.      A clock with a simple delay function is set to provide 8 minutes for each player and a 3 second delay between each player’s actions.

c.       A clock with a Bronstein delay function but no simple delay is set to 8 minutes and 3 seconds for each player, with a “refund value” of 3 seconds after each move.

d.      Players shuffle their libraries, draw opening hands, and resolve mulligans.

e.      Once the game is ready to begin, the non-active player starts the opponent’s time.

f.        If a player believes his or her opponent is taking too long to perform pre-game procedures, or if a person is tardy, he or she may ask a judge for permission to start the opponent’s time early.

5.    Section 5:   Passing the clock

a.       The clock is passed when any of the following occurs:

                                                               i.      The active player ends his or her turn.

                                                             ii.      The active player passes priority.

                                                            iii.      A spell or ability being resolved only has actions controlled by the other player left to perform.  (Example: A player casts Day of Judgment. When it resolves, the player who cast it has already moved all his or her creature cards into the graveyard, but the opponent has not. He or she passes the clock to allow the opponent to finish the action of Day of Judgment.)

                                                           iv.      The non-active player whose time is running passes priority

                                                             v.      The explanation of a proposed shortcut is complete

                                                           vi.      The opponent of a player who has proposed a shortcut either accepts it or announces when he or she will interrupt it and what action will be taken at that point

                                                          vii.      The non-active player whose time is running finishes resolving actions under his or her control.

                                                        viii.      The player whose time was started early by permission of a judge arrives after being tardy and/or completes the actions that prompted the judge to grant permission for the early start.

b.      The clock is not passed in the following situations:

                                                               i.      The active player plays a land card.

                                                             ii.      The active player takes an action that doesn’t go on the stack, such as turning a card with morph face up, or drawing his or her card at the beginning of the draw step.

                                                            iii.      The player still has actions to perform as part of resolving a spell or ability he or she controls, even if the opponent also has actions to perform.

c.       If a situation that doesn’t appear in either of these lists occurs, the head judge can be called to rule on whether the clock should be passed.

d.      Etiquette for clock passing

                                                               i.      Players must pass the clock with the same hand that they used to perform the action. If both hands are involved in the action, either hand may be used.

                                                             ii.      Players may not have a hand hovering in order to save time passing the clock.

                                                            iii.      Players may not use excessive force to pass the clock.

6.       Section 6: Stopping the clock

a.       The clock is stopped in the following circumstances:

                                                               i.      A player has called for a judge.

                                                             ii.      The game is over.

b.      If a player intentionally stops the clock, but does not call for a judge, this is interpreted as the equivalent of a concession. The player should communicate the concession to his or her opponents.

c.       If the game is over, but not the match, reset the clocks and perform the pre-game procedures for the next game.

7.     Section 7:  Flag fall

a.       Even though a flag has fallen, the game proceeds normally until flag fall has been announced by one of the players, or a judge watching the game.

b.      Once flag fall has been noticed, no further turns can take place. If flag fall is announced during combat, the combat continues but the player whose flag has fallen can’t cast spells or activate abilities.

c.       If the game has not already reached a conclusion by that time, the player whose flag has fallen loses the game.

8.   Section 8:    IPG considerations

a.       When clocks are use, there is no advantage to playing slowly, and thus the rules for Slow Play are not applicable.

b.      For purposes of Player Communication Violations, information provided by the chess clock, such as how much time is remaining for each player and whether or not a flag has fallen, are all considered derived information.

c.       Only the players in the game and judges watching the game may speak about what is on the clock. Comments about a fallen flag or the time on the clock made where the players can hear can be considered Outside Assistance.

d.      Judges may investigate the use of excessive force to pass the clock under the guidelines of Unsporting Conduct.

SummaryI don't see any reason why chess clocks can't be used in Magic. However, there are many issues that are easily solved by them. Every time I sit across from someone with a deck who is spending a minute or more deciding whether to Mana Leak my White Knight, I wish I had a chess clock there. Every time I call a judge over during a time crunch I wish I could stop the clock and resume it instead of trying to negotiate how much extra time gets added to the match. It's an idea whose time has finally come.