My fascination with chess clocks – Part 1
This weekend was a busy one. I had a speed chess event to run at the club.
My biggest worry was to get enough chess clocks to run the event which would have about 40 players. This meant that I had to get one of my favorite chess clocks repaired. This was an old Jerger Clock made in West Germany a real Mercedes Benz of chess clocks that I have loved from the first time I saw it.
The first time I saw it was probably in the 1980s when I saw Saif Kanani playing at one of the events. He is the only Kenyan to have won a medal at the Olympiad when he got a Silver medal in the 1980 edition in Malta.
This clock was a rehabilitated one. You can see the swinger on one face is red the other one is black. One clock was not working and I was lucky. I managed to find a clock repairer. Yes these people still exist in Nairobi. You will find them working in certain spots of the city. They have a small little glass box which have their tools.
The chap who fixed my clock was Peter Barazza. His price was KES 800 or USD 8. After bargaining we agreed on KES 600. Guess what the clock worked like a breeze at today’s event.
I am now a happy man!
My question is – Why does DGT still insist on making all its digital clocks in plastic? There are some crazy players like us who love the feel of wood and would be happy to use a wooden DGT digital clock!
Links
Other articles from my website on the subject of chess clocks.