5 min · Black taps first. That starts White’s clock.

Time control

Minutes each, then seconds added per move. Picking one resets the clock.

The FIDE classical control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 more minutes, with 30 seconds added every move from move 1.

Custom time, handicap and delay

Extra time each move None (sudden death)Your time only goes down. When it runs out, you’ve lost on time. Increment (Fischer)After each move, the seconds you set are added to your clock, so a quick move can bank time. Delay (simple, or US delay)Your clock waits that many seconds before it starts counting down. Unused delay is lost; you never gain time. Bronstein delayYour clock counts down straight away, and after your move you get back the time you used, up to the seconds set. You never gain time.

Same time for both players (untick for a handicap)

Both players min s + s a move

Add min after move 0 = off. For controls like 90/40 + 30.

Options

Low-time warning at s Sound Layout

Automatic puts the clocks top and bottom on a phone or tablet, with the top one turned round, and side by side on a computer screen.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser. No account, nothing sent anywhere. Your time control and options are remembered on this device only.

How to use it

Pick a time control above. 5 | 3 means five minutes each, plus three seconds added after every move.
Lay the phone or tablet flat beside the board, with one clock facing each player.
The player with the black pieces taps their clock first. That starts White’s clock, and the clocks label themselves White and Black.
Make your move, then tap your own clock. Yours stops, your opponent’s starts, and your move count goes up by one.
A clock turns amber when it has less time left than your low-time warning, and red with “Out of time” when it reaches zero.

On a computer: the clocks sit side by side. Left Shift is the left player’s button and Right Shift the right player’s. Space ends the move of whoever’s clock is running, and P pauses. Tapping or clicking a clock works too.

Pause stops whichever clock is running, for a phone call or to fetch an arbiter. Reset asks for a second tap while a game is going, so a stray thumb can’t wipe it.

Increment, delay and Bronstein, side by side

Say you have 10 seconds left and the extra time is 5 seconds, and you take 3 seconds over your move:

Mode	During your move	After a 3-second move	After an 8-second move
None	Counts down from the start	7 s	2 s
Increment (Fischer)	Counts down from the start	12 s (10 − 3 + 5)	7 s (10 − 8 + 5)
Delay (simple)	Waits 5 s, then counts down	10 s	7 s
Bronstein delay	Counts down from the start	10 s (3 s given back)	7 s (5 s given back)

Delay and Bronstein delay always leave you with the same time after a move. They differ only in what the clock shows while you think. Increment is the only one where your time can grow.

The time controls, what blitz, rapid and classical mean, and the rules about clocks are in our lesson Using a chess clock: time controls explained.

Who presses the clock first?

White moves first, so White’s clock has to be running when the game starts. In a club game the player with the black pieces usually starts it by pressing their own side, and that’s how this clock works: the first tap tells it which side is Black. At a tournament, the arbiter tells everyone when to start the clocks.

What happens when a clock runs out?

The clock shows “Out of time” and stops. Under the FIDE Laws the player whose time ran out loses, unless the other player can’t possibly checkmate (for example they have only a king left); then the game is a draw. The clock can’t see the board, so that part is up to you.

Will the time drift if my phone is slow?

No. The clock reads the device’s own high-precision timer each time it draws, and works out the time left from when the move began. It doesn’t count ticks, so a busy phone or a dimmed screen can’t slow it down.

Why does the screen stay on?

While a game is running we ask the browser to keep the screen awake, so the phone doesn’t lock in the middle of a long think. It lets go when you pause, reset or a clock runs out. Some browsers don’t allow this; then you’ll see a note under Options.

Full screen doesn’t work on my iPhone

Safari on iPhone doesn’t let a web page go truly full screen, so the clock fills the browser window instead. Turn the phone to portrait and lock rotation in Control Centre so it doesn’t flip when someone leans over it.

Can I give one player less time?

Yes. Open Custom time, handicap and delay, untick Same time for both players and set each clock on its own. A common handicap for a stronger player is half the time, or no increment.

Is there no sound?

Phone browsers only allow sound after you’ve tapped something on the page, so the first tap turns it on. On an iPhone, the ring/silent switch mutes web pages too. You’ll hear a short click on each move, two beeps at the low-time warning and a longer tone when a clock runs out.

Chess clock

Time control

How to use it

Increment, delay and Bronstein, side by side

Get your team confident with AI.

Time control

How to use it

Increment, delay and Bronstein, side by side

Related

Get your team confident with AI.