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Chess Timer

How to use it

Pick a time control, press start, and tap or click your own side when you have finished a move. That stops your clock and starts your opponent’s. The space bar does the same thing, which suits a laptop propped beside the board.

A side that reaches zero turns red and stops. The move counter under each clock keeps a running total, and the display switches to tenths of a second inside the last twenty, where the difference actually matters.

Reading a time control

A control written as 3 + 2 means three minutes on the clock and two seconds added after every move you complete. The addition is Fischer increment, named after Bobby Fischer, who patented a clock in 1988 that gave time back rather than only taking it away.

The increment changes the game more than the starting number does. Without it, a winning position can still be lost to the clock in a scramble; with two or three seconds a move, a player who knows what they are doing can convert an endgame instead of flagging.

The presets follow the usual competitive bands: bullet under three minutes, blitz from three to under ten, rapid from ten to sixty, and classical above that. Tournament classical games often run 90 minutes with a 30-second increment, which is the longest preset here.

Etiquette, and other uses

A few habits are worth keeping whatever the control. Press the clock with the same hand you moved with — using two hands is a technical offence in tournament play. Make the move first and press second, not the other way round. And if you offer a draw, do it after moving and before pressing.

The clock is also useful well away from chess: draughts, go, shogi, backgammon and any two-player game with alternating turns work identically, and so do timed debates and interview rounds where each side gets its own budget.

Questions people ask

How do I use a chess clock?

Make your move, then press your own side with the same hand you moved with. That stops your clock and starts your opponent’s.

What does 3 + 2 mean?

Three minutes each, plus two seconds added to your clock every time you complete a move.

What is the difference between increment and delay?

Increment adds time after each move, so a careful player can build a reserve. Delay holds your clock still for a few seconds before it starts running, and never gives time back.

Who invented the increment?

Bobby Fischer patented a clock using it in 1988, which is why it is often called Fischer increment.

What counts as bullet, blitz, rapid and classical?

Broadly: under three minutes is bullet, three to under ten is blitz, ten to sixty is rapid, and above an hour is classical. Federations set exact boundaries for rated play.

What happens when a clock reaches zero?

That side has lost on time, unless the opponent has no way to deliver checkmate with the material left, in which case the game is a draw.

Why must I press with the moving hand?

To stop a player moving with one hand while hovering over the clock with the other. Using two hands is a technical offence in tournament play.

When should I offer a draw?

After making your move and before pressing your clock. Offering while your opponent is thinking is considered a distraction.

Can I pause the game?

Yes — the pause button stops both clocks. In rated play only the arbiter may do this.

Does it work for other games?

Any two-player game with alternating turns: draughts, go, shogi, backgammon. Timed debates and interview rounds work the same way.

What is the space bar for?

It switches the clock, which is convenient when a laptop sits beside the board and both players can reach it.

Why does the display change to tenths near the end?

Inside the last twenty seconds, tenths are what decide a scramble. Above that they are noise.

Where to go next

Bookmark or share chess timer directly. Everything else is one step away on world clock and time zones.