Chess clock strategy and time controls

How blitz and rapid are defined

FIDE, the international chess federation, classifies games by how much time each player has over a 60-move game. In its Laws of Chess, a rapid game gives each player more than 10 and less than 60 minutes, counting the base time plus 60 times any increment. A game with 10 minutes or less per player on that measure is blitz.

Increment and delay are not the same

With an increment, also called a Fischer increment after Bobby Fischer, who filed a patent for it in 1988, a fixed amount of time is added to your clock after each move. Fast moves can therefore build up a bank of time.

With a delay, the clock waits a few seconds before your main time starts running each move. In a Bronstein delay, the time you used is given back, up to the delay amount. Either way your main time can't grow. The chess clock here uses increment: set it in Increment per move (seconds).

Why increment prevents time-scramble losses

Without increment, a game can be decided by who moves faster in the last seconds, even if the position is clearly won. With even a 2- or 3-second increment, every move guarantees a little time, so a player who can find quick, safe moves can always finish the game. That is why most online and over-the-board events now use increment for fast games.

Budgeting your time

A clock rewards a plan more than raw speed. These habits help most players in rapid and blitz games:

• Play the opening moves you know quickly to save time for the middle game.
• Spend longer on moves that change the structure: captures, pawn breaks, king safety.
• Check your clock every few moves, not every move.
• When short of time, use the increment: make safe moves and let a few seconds build up.
• Don't think on your opponent's move only about your own plan; also look at their threats.

Beyond chess

A chess clock is a fair way to share thinking time in any two-player turn-based game, from Scrabble to Go, or even in a debate. Choose Minutes per player for the total thinking time and add a small increment so nobody is rushed on simple turns. Each player taps their own side after their turn, which starts the other player's clock.