The Everything Chess Basics Book (59 page)

What is a chess clock?
A chess clock is actually two separate clocks housed in a single casing. One clock keeps track of the time used by the player who is playing the White pieces, and the other clock keeps track of the time used by the player who is playing the Black pieces. There are two types of chess clocks, analog clocks and digital clocks. Digital clocks have a digital display for each player. When a player’s digital display reaches zero, that player has run out of time. An analog clock has two traditional clock faces, one for each player. Each of these clock faces has a red flag. When a player is running low on time, the minute hand of the clock lifts the flag. When a player’s flag falls, that player has run out of time. Analog clocks should be set so that a player’s time expires when the clock reads six o’clock. A chess clock has two buttons, one for each player. When you are playing chess with a chess clock, make your move as usual and then use the same hand to press the nearer button on the clock. When you press the button, your clock will stop and your opponent’s clock will start to run. If you run out of time and your opponent has enough material left on the board to checkmate you, your opponent can claim a win on time. If you run out of time and your opponent does not have enough material left on the board to checkmate you, your opponent can claim a draw. If your opponent does not notice that you have run out of time, you can continue to play the game and attempt to checkmate your opponent. If you checkmate your opponent before your opponent notices that you have run out of time, then you win the game.

S
hould I buy a chess clock for my child?
Serious tournament players need a chess clock, but beginners don’t. Some serious tournament players will spend an hour on each move if given the opportunity, so chess clocks are needed at tournaments to ensure that all games end in a reasonable amount of time. However, most young beginners tend to make their moves too quickly and need to be encouraged to spend more time thinking about their moves. After your child has played in a couple of chess tournaments and expressed a desire to play in more tournaments, it’s time to think about buying a chess clock. The USCF has a large collection of chess clocks available through the Web site
www.uschess.org
, the USCF catalog, or the sales hotline
1-800-388-KING (5464).

Should I buy a chess computer?
A chess computer is a wonderful tool. You don’t need an expensive computer that is capable of challenging a chess master. Most computers have a variety of levels, and even the cheapest computers can challenge the average player. If you own a personal computer, you might prefer chess software instead of a stand-alone chess computer. Your child will probably prefer a kid-friendly product like Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess rather than a superstrong program like Fritz 6.0. Your child’s silicon opponent will never get tired or bored with chess, so if your child wants to play chess more often than you do, it might be time to buy a chess computer or chess-playing software. The USCF has a large collection of chess computers available through the Web site
www.uschess.org
, the USCF catalog, or the sales hotline
1-800-388-KING (5464).

Should I buy a chess database?
Databases are for serious chess players. Beginners learn very little from a chess database. When your child’s rating has reached 1,600, you might want to buy ChessBase 8.0. Until then, don’t worry about databases. The USCF has a large collection of chess databases available through the Web site
www.uschess.org
, the USCF catalog, or the sales hotline
1-800-388-KING (5464).

What is a chess camp?
Theme camps are becoming very popular. There are baseball camps, soccer camps, and even chess camps. A chess camp is a summer camp where kids can go to learn about and play chess. Some chess camps are day camps, and other chess camps are sleep-over camps. Most chess camps offer some other activities such as swimming, soccer, tennis, etc. in addition to chess. For information about specific chess camps, please visit
www.uschess.org
.