The Leap Digital Chess Clock With Bonus and Delay, also known by its model name “the PQ9907S” is a timer from the Leap line.
Not all chess players fancy the heavy lifting required for big chess clocks. They sometimes prefer lighter and more portable timers.
If you fit into this category of chess players, then you should keep reading our review of the PQ9907S, as you might just fall in love with it.
The Leap PQ9907S: If Portability Was A Chess Clock
Leap had one mission when making this clock: To create a functional timer that is made for on-the-go chess. And they nailed it.
The Leap Digital Chess Clock With Bonus and Delay is a lightweight timer that’s specifically built for chess players who love to move about and explore while playing the beautiful game.
The clock weighs a total of 9.9 ounces. It’s quite hard to believe a working chess clock could be this small in size.
Due to its size, it can be moved around very easily. You can put it in a little bag, a chess set, or even stuff it in your pocket on your way to the park.
The size and portability are quite impressive, however, that’s not all the clock has to offer. Its range of functionality and performance are not at all shabby. Let’s get into it.
A Closer Look
This clock has a smooth and somewhat rounded build with a smooth finish that feels good to the touch.
Its display interface is a dual one. Meaning each player has a screen to themselves. This clock is similar to the KK9908 version in this aspect as the KK9908 also has dual screens.
The screens display the time each player has in hours, minutes, and seconds. We particularly like this feature as not all clocks have it.
Under the screens, three buttons can be found. These buttons each have a function that can be used to set the clock:
- The + button is used to increase the time
- The – button is for decreasing the time and
- The middle button can be used to stop or start the time.
The ON/OFF switch of the clock can be located at the bottom of the clock. To toggle it, simply flick the switch.
Above the clock, is a seesaw-type lever that allows the players to switch between their respective timers.
We feel the lever is just about satisfactory, it’s nothing exceptional, but considering the size of the clock, we can’t complain.
The battery compartment can also be located under the clock. The 9907 is powered by 1 AAA battery.
However, for some clocks, there’s no battery included with the package while you might be lucky to get one that has a battery. The one we got had a single battery in the carton.
“Tick Tock” – The PQ9907S Timing System
The most important feature of any chess clock is its timer/ timing system.
The major red flag with the PQ9907S is that, unlike other clocks we’ve reviewed, it doesn’t come with pre-programmed settings.
For clocks that come with the pre-programmed settings/ options, you can simply click through and select your preferred time control. However, with this clock, you have to do it manually.
So, how do you set up the clock? Pay attention:
The 9907 has three buttons, the middle button is your go-to button for setting up the clock. Once you flick the start switch behind the clock, you long-press the middle button for about 3 seconds and the timer should start blinking.
From here, you’ll make use of the + and – buttons to decide what time control you want to play. The middle button is used to glide between hours, minutes, and seconds.
Let’s say you want to play a 3-minute blitz game. After long-pressing the middle button and the timer starts to blink, you’ll then use the same middle button to move from the hour mark to the minute mark.
When you’re on the minute mark, you click the + button 3 times and it sets to 3 minutes, you then continue clicking the middle button until the blinking stops.
A cool feature of the PQ9907S is that whatever settings you make on the first screen will appear on the second screen, so you don’t have to go through the task of setting a particular time control for both displays. We guess that’s Leap’s way of compensating for the lack of pre-programmed settings.
You can also decide to set different time controls for each display, for example, 5 minutes for the first and 4 for the second. The choice is all yours.
If we look past the downside (which is the absence of pre-programmed settings), the PQ9907S has other cool features to offer.
The Clock has the Bonus and Delay options
If you’re a chess player with tournament experience or you’ve played a lot of chess, then you must be familiar with the Bonus and Delay options.
However, if you’re just starting with chess or chess clocks, the Bonus option is simply a feature in the chess clock that allows you to select a setting whereby you get extra or bonus time in your games whenever you click the clock.
If you select a 5-second bonus, with every click you make, 5 seconds will be added to your time.
The Delay option is another feature that gives you a select number of seconds to think before your time starts running.
So if a 10-second delay is set, the clock will delay for 10 seconds before your normal time starts to move.
One feature of the delay Leap added to the PQ9907S that we like is that when you set the delay, you can see the number of seconds you have counting down. This is not common with chess clocks.
Clocks like the DGT North American for example, do not have this feature. Leap deserves a pat on the back for this one.
Final Thoughts On The Clock
We think the 9907 is an excellent option if you’re a casual chess player who’s looking for a portable and functional chess clock.