Got an old Soviet chess clock for Xmas.

Hey guys,

My lovely wife got me a soviet era chess set and chess clock from Ukraine for Xmas. We were both pleasantly surprised when the clock worked as advertised.
Can I just ask a couple of questions?
How do you do time controls with these since it seems to tick forwards like a normal clock?
What is the red 'gate' at the 12 o'clock position for?
There is also a +/- slider thingy for each clock on the back, what does that do?

Would really appreciate any knowledge or general comments about how these are used, as I'm a noob with OTB equipment.

The plus-minus levers on the back make each clock run a little slower or a little faster, so you can adjust them to run at exactly the same rate.

Ahh thanks! Got it!

Thanks for that! I'll leave them both in the middle.

Not necessarily at the same rate, but the accurate rate. It does not really matter if they run at the same rate if that rate is 10 seconds fast per minute, then a 60 min game would really only be a 50 minute game.

You would want to test the clocks (both sides) and adjust as needed. As the clocks get older they need more adjustment.

(Very cool clock, BTW.)

Too funny - I am just starting to watch IM Jeremy Silman's lectures on "The Great Courses" and at 5:07 of the first lecture this clock is pictured (with a clearly Eastern Bloc chess set - thanks to the education I have received here from all the great posts on sets).

Are analog chess clocks the new rotary dial telephones?  I hadn't realized just how ubiquitous the digital ones are nowadays. I'm starting to feel old. :-)

Nice clock, by the way.  I want to get one of those soviet ones someday.

Hi, Rsava. I like your comment, but to get crazy philosophical for a moment, I'd also like to suggest that the clocks should run at BOTH an accurate rate and the same rate. Of course if they're both accurate, then they must be running at the same (accurate) rate.

If it were possible for both to be accurate but NOT run at the same rate, I'd choose to have them run at the same rate instead of being accurate, because that would be fairer.

As blitz, bullet, and indeed all time-limit chess demonstrates, it doesn't matter how much time you're given -- thirty hours, thirty minutes, thirty seconds -- as long as your opponent is given the same amount of time as you. If I get fifty-eight minutes which my clock counts as sixty, that's okay as long as my opponent gets the same fifty-eight minutes -- even if HER clock counts them as sixty-two, as long as we both know exactly how our clocks are working.

I understand what you're saying, however your reasoning is false. If you are playing a FIDE World Cup Match with the official time controls of 90’/40+30’/end then it is not an official match if both clocks are at the same rate but both clocks run at a rate of 10" fast for each 1' (i.e. not accurate). The first time control would only be 75' (10' x 90' = 900"/60 = 15', 90' - 15' = 75') and the second time control is a minimum of 6.6 min off, which makes the match invalid.

In addition, FIDE rules state in order for the game to count towards ratings, 

For a game to be rated, each player must have the following minimum periods in which to complete all the moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.
Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 2200 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes.
Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 1600 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 90 minutes.
Where all the players in the tournament are rated below 1600, each player must have a minimum of 60 minutes.

With your clock running at the wrong rate you risk your game not being used for rating.

Therefore, it is more important for them to BOTH be accurate, not BOTH be at the same rate. 

Your example of the two clocks is also false. If your opponents clock counts the 58 minutes as sixty-two then they are running at different rates AND your opponent has longer before the flag falls, unless you set them to different start times. But why not fix them so they are both running at the correct, accurate rate rather than having to remember to set the times differently?

Thanks so much for the input guys. My wife is very touched that people like you think it's a cool gift. As suggested, I'll calibrate it against a modern clock.

Got one just like yours:

OMG! That's awesome! Where did you get it?

At a Warsaw bookshop, which specializes in chess lit.

Wonderful clock!

Nothing yells timetrouble quite like the ticking of a good old analog clock.

Nice! Those are just stunning!

I just got one too. Im obsessed with it now. It still says ussr on the
 front.

I bet this thing will still work years afyet im in a hole.

Yantar / Янтарь, "amber"... probably produced between 1960 and 1964, Chistopol factory in Tatarstan