Chess clock

An online chess clock for two players

A chess clock is two countdowns in one device, and only one of them runs at a time. This online chess timer gives White and Black the same time, starts the opponent’s clock when you press yours, and shows a flag when someone runs out. Use it over the board, in a club, or for any two-player game with a time limit.

How to use the chess clock

1. Pick a time control (for example 5 minutes, or 3 minutes plus 2 seconds), or enter your own under Custom time and sound.
2. Press Start to start White’s clock. Or let White make the first move and press the White side, which starts Black’s clock.
3. After each move, press your own side (or Space). Your clock stops and your opponent’s starts.
4. Press Pause to stop both clocks, for example for a draw offer or a rules question.

Keyboard: Space passes the turn, the left arrow presses White’s side, the right arrow presses Black’s side and P pauses.

Chess time controls: bullet, blitz, rapid and classical

Time controls are usually grouped by how long each player has. The limits differ between organisations, so these are rough guides:

What is an increment?

With a Fischer increment, a fixed number of seconds is added to your clock every time you complete a move. “3+2” means 3 minutes each plus 2 seconds after every move. Because time is added after the move, you cannot lose time by moving quickly. Set the increment under Custom time and sound. This clock does not offer delay modes such as Bronstein or simple delay.

Good to know

The clocks are deadline-based, so a slow tab does not make them drift, and the display shows tenths of a second in the last 20 seconds. Keep the page open and visible; browsers may delay sounds in background tabs. For a single countdown use a 5 minute timer or the interval timer, and to run several games at once use multiple timers.