David Richerby wrote:

Guy Macon http://www.guymacon.com/ wrote:

For comparison, let's start with a 40/120, D/60 time control with a
USCF-Style delay of 5 seconds.

Replace the USCF-style the delay with a Fischer increment (meaning 5
seconds are added to your clock when you hit the button rather than
the clock waiting 5 seconds before starting to count down -- the
difference being that with a Fischer delay you can gain time by
moving quickly).

Your `USCF-style delay' is usually credited to David Bronstein, rather
than the USCF.

You are correct. I apologize; in my haste I mentally confused
the three major methods (Fischer, Bronstein, FIDE) and somehow
managed to insert the term "USCF" in there. Sorry about that.

http://www.dgtprojects.com/clock_tim....htm#bronstein

Now replace the 40/120, D/60 with SD/10 or SD/20, but with the
Fischer delay set to 3 minutes.

Are people not already doing this? Starting with only twenty minutes
on the clock seems a bit short for serious games, even with a
three-minute increment, but the basic idea is very sound.

This, of course, wouldn't make matches end by the next round, but
when playing a club game or a game at work, it would avoid the
rather artificial "race until the time control changes then relax"
effect.

At work, I don't have time for six-hour games of chess!

I once did nothing but play chess for over a week while sitting
in the bunker next to a launchpad as the countdown got stopped
or reset multiple times. Got the bird into orbit at the end,
though!