Digital Vs. Analog Clocks in BG

joliver · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 25

I am in charge of a local backgammon club in my community and we are thinking about implementing a time limit in our tournament games. I am looking into buying clocks and wonder if anyone can tell me the difference between using a digital clock and using an analog clock in backgammon and whether one is better than the other?

Checker · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 10

The analog clock was originally intended for chess games. It has two analog clock faces which count down, showing the remaining time that each player has. When a player’s time runs out a flag falls. At the end of each players turn he or she hits a button on the clock. This starts the time for their opponent’s turn.

A digital clock serves the same purpose as the analog clock. It counts down each players remaining time with a digital interface. When a player’s time expires it is represented by “00:00”. Digital clocks have also incorporated an additional feature that is not included in analog clocks. This feature is a time delay which gives the player a predetermined amount of time (usually from eight to fifteen seconds) before their time begins to count down. The purpose for this is to give the player time to prepare and throw his or her dice in order to start the turn.

Analog clocks are typically used for chess games, but digital clocks tend to be more effective for backgammon because of the time delay feature. In chess as soon as the clock is pressed the player can start thinking about his or her move, whereas in backgammon the thinking process only begins after the dice have been rolled. The digital time delay allows time for the roll so that the player doesn’t have to spend his or her time for the period that is used to throw the dice and register the numbers. All of his or her time can be spent on thinking about the best move. For this reason many people prefer to use digital clocks over analog clocks when they are playing backgammon.