RICHARD, PLEASE FIX CHESS CLOCK PROBLEMS IN RT.2002.6.7

This tournament started on 10 Nov 2002. James Fogarty has yet to make a move in any game, yet his clock has not moved. In addition, some of the players have times of 260 hours, 290 hours, and 249 hours. I request that Mr. Fogarty's clock be adjusted to show he has about 72 hours left, and that the clocks showing times in excess of 240 hours also be corrected.

There's nothing wrong here.
James Fogarty's vacation days are currently being used up, and each one adds 24 hours to each of his clocks.
This is entirely normal.

That just explains two of the games. Thoose with clocks under 264. But one is (when I looked) at 287. And that is more then 240+24, wich is max time + one vacation. How do You explain that!

Game #14707. White took nearly 41 hours to play his first move, so Black has about 41 hours more on this clock than on the other two.

Where does it specifically state, or even imply, that a player may have more than 240 hours to make a move? Even though Peter Brocka took almost 41 hours to make his opening move in 14707, why should his "on-vacation" opponent deserve to have THAT many hours added to his time? These are some of the matters that Richard should clear up, for in my discussions with other players on LG, IYT, and personal e-mail, no one seems to absolutely sure what goes on with time on LG.

Richard doesn't need to clear up these matters, since the FAQ already explains them.
The FAQ says that a vacation day adds 24 hours to each of the player's clocks.
It does not say, nor imply, that there are any conditions.
The time is added regardless of how many hours there are currently on the clock, regardless of whose turn it is, and regardless of whether you think the player deserves it.

A vacation day adds 24 hours to EACH of the player's clocks? I don't think this is correct. And why would you add 24 hours to both clocks? It should just be the person on vacation who gets the added time. The FAQ doesn't say anything about EACH player's clock. It says "If the clock of a certain player on one of his games gets to 0, a day of vacation will be triggered. This means that all games of THAT player get 24 hours extra time." THAT player... the person on vacation... not his/her opponent.

"A vacation day adds 24 hours to EACH of the player's clocks." When Stephen wrote this, he meant EACH clock belonging to that player. He did not mean BOTH clocks for some one game of that player.

But the thing that got wrong here is that it added 24 houers to a clock that was at 240 and NOT his turn. Then on the next vacation day ANOTHER 24 was added, summing 48 H added and none counted down! There should be a maximum of 240h even with vacation added!
Otherwise, if two people signing up for a topurney, then going on vacation (both). After ten days both would have 480h. That is the clock would look like 480/480. Doesn't that seem wrong to You?

Yes, it does seem wrong to me. That's because it *is* wrong: one player must be on turn, and that player will remain near 240, because the addition of 24 hours every day is balanced by the loss of an hour every hour. So it won't be 480/480, but more like 240/480. (And remember that 480 doesn't really mean 480, because as soon as you play a move your time drops to 240 anyway.)

You got me there! You're right about that. But why then not set the cap at 240 period! No matter if it's vacation or a move that's adding. Makes more sense to me at least.

bump