Next club night: Monday 7 September, 7.30pm — with the AGMMondays 7.30pm at Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club

Chess clock quick-start

How to set the Saitek Competition Pro

The 2000s UK club workhorse

Batteries
2 × C
Increment
Fischer & Bronstein
Delay
Yes
Per-player times
Yes, except tournament mode
User memories
3

Saitek left the chess business years ago, but these still turn up in league matches every week.

Illustration of the Saitek Competition Pro chess clock

Before you start

  1. Slide the switch on the underside to GO (the further positions turn off the sound, the lights, or both).
  2. Pick a mode with the round pad: ◀ / ▶ choose the mode family, ▼ steps through its presets. The current code — 2a, 3b and so on — shows at the bottom left.
  3. Press the plunger on your side to start your opponent's clock. The green light shows whose clock is running.

Set the popular time controls

Pick the control you are playing and follow the steps — nothing here needs the manual.

5+0

Blitz — 5 minutes each

The first preset in Blitz mode — the club-night classic on this clock.

Mode 2a

  1. Press ▶ until Blitz mode shows — 2a (5 minutes) is its first preset.
  2. Press a plunger to start.

Each player has 5 minutes.

15+0

Rapid — 15 minutes each

A built-in preset.

Mode 2b

  1. Go to Blitz mode and press ▼ once, to 2b.
  2. Press a plunger to start.

Each player has 15 minutes.

25+0

Rapidplay — 25 minutes each

A built-in preset.

Mode 2c

  1. Go to Blitz mode and press ▼ twice, to 2c.
  2. Press a plunger to start.

Each player has 25 minutes.

3+2

Blitz — 3 minutes + 2 seconds a move

The first Fischer preset.

Mode 4a

  1. Press ▶ to Fischer mode — 4a is 3 minutes + 2 seconds.
  2. Press a plunger to start.

3 minutes each, with 2 seconds added when your clock starts.

15+10

Rapid — 15 minutes + 10 seconds a move

No preset — edit a Fischer mode.

Mode 4a, edited

  1. Select Mode 4a and press EDIT — the first digit flashes.
  2. Set the main time to 0:15 (▲ / ▼ change the digit, ◀ / ▶ move along), then continue ▶ to the per-move bonus screen and set 0.10.
  3. Press EDIT to finish — or press STORE, pick memory 7A, and press STORE again to keep it.
  4. Press a plunger to start.

15 minutes each plus 10 seconds a move — and memory 7A recalls it from Mode 7 any time.

Handicap

Different times for each player

Odds games — the two sides can differ in every mode except tournament.

Any Blitz or Fischer mode + {EDIT}

  1. Select a mode and press EDIT.
  2. The cursor walks both displays: set the left player's time, keep pressing ▶, and set the right player's differently.
  3. Press EDIT to finish, then a plunger to start.

Each side has its own time.

Tips and troubleshooting