Chess Clock

A two-player chess clock with Fischer increment, Bronstein and simple delay. Pick a preset like blitz 3+2 or rapid 10+5, put it between the players and tap your side after each move.

Updated Oct 2026

Keys: left and right Shift for each side · Space ends the move · P pauses · F full screen. Blitz · 3+2

Time control

Time per playerminutes

Increment per moveseconds

Mode

The increment is added after each of your moves.

3 min + 60 × 2 s = 5 min per player: blitz under FIDE rules (10 minutes or less).

A chess clock for workWant breaks whenever you need them? A work clock and a break clock, one running at a time.Study in focus roundsOpenings or endgames: 25-minute rounds with breaks, and a count of each day’s study.Interval timerRounds and rests for a workout, with a big full-screen display.

Key facts

Under FIDE rules a game is blitz when each player’s time plus 60 moves’ increment is 10 minutes or less: 3+2 gives 3 + 60 × 2 s = 5 minutes.
It is rapid when that total is more than 10 and less than 60 minutes per player: 10+5 gives 15 minutes.
Fischer increments add time after every move; Bronstein and simple delay never let a player’s clock gain time.

FIDE Laws of Chess (2023), Article 6 (the chessclock) and Appendices A and B (rapid and blitz).

Increment and delay, with an example

Say you have 1:00 left on a 2-second control and take 5 seconds over a move:

Fischer: the clock runs down to 0:55, then 2 seconds are added: 0:57. A 1-second move would leave you on 1:01, so fast play builds a buffer.
Bronstein: the clock runs down to 0:55 and you get back 2 seconds (the time used, up to the increment): 0:57. A 1-second move gives back 1 second: still 1:00.
Simple delay: the clock waits 2 seconds, then runs for 3: 0:57. A 1-second move costs nothing: still 1:00.

Blitz, rapid and classical

FIDE classes a game by each player’s base time plus 60 times the increment. Ten minutes or less is blitz (3+2 is 5 minutes, 5+3 is 8). More than 10 and less than 60 minutes is rapid (10+5 is 15 minutes, 15+10 is 25). Sixty minutes or more is a standard, or classical, game, such as 90 minutes plus 30 seconds a move. Online sites also call the fastest blitz games, under 3 minutes, bullet.

Other timers

The same engine runs the Pomodoro timer for study sessions, the focus timer (a chess clock for one: a work clock and a break clock, with breaks whenever you need them) and the interval timer for workouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use this chess clock?

Pick a time control and put the phone or laptop between the players. The player with the black pieces taps their side to start White’s clock; after each move, tap your own side to stop your clock and start your opponent’s. On a laptop, the left and right Shift keys are the two sides, Space ends the current move, and P pauses.

What is the difference between Fischer, Bronstein and delay?

With a Fischer increment (3+2), 2 seconds are added to your clock after every move, so a quick move can bank time. With Bronstein, you get back the time you spent on the move, up to 2 seconds, so your clock never goes above where it was. With simple (US) delay, your clock waits 2 seconds before it starts counting down each move. Bronstein and delay give the same result for each move; they only look different while the clock runs.

What do 3+2 and 10+5 mean?

The first number is each player’s starting time in minutes, the second the increment in seconds added after each move. 3+2 is a common blitz control; 10+5 and 15+10 are common rapid controls.

Does it keep time if the screen turns off or I switch apps?

The clock is worked out from timestamps, so it stays exact if the tab is in the background. While a game is running the screen stays on, where the browser supports it. A flag falls at the exact moment the time runs out, even if nobody is looking.

Can I pause the game?

Yes: press Pause (or P) to stop both clocks, for example to call an arbiter or set a piece straight, and Resume to carry on with the same player to move. Moves can’t be made while the clock is paused.