a) a programmable digital chess clock comprising a microcontroller operatively arranged to program and set the digital chess clock without transmitting radio frequency data to or receiving radio frequeny data from an external device; and

b) a QR code, other 2D barcode, and/or 1D barcode reader operatively arranged to read a QR code, other 2D barcode, and/or 1D barcode encoding instructions for programming and setting the digital chess clock and send a signal to the microcontroller to program and set the digital chess clock; wherein the QR code, other 2D barcode, and/or 1D barcode are configured to encode desired time control parameters converted from a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data-interchange format;