Chess time controls
explained.

What does 5+0 or 3+2 mean?

In the presets on this clock, the number before “+” is the base time in minutes per player. The number after it is a Fischer increment in seconds per completed move.

5+0 gives each player five minutes and no bonus. 3+2 gives each player a three-minute base and a two-second increment. Our first-move convention adds that increment at initialisation, so 3+2 starts at 3:02 each.

A delay is labelled separately in words. “5 minutes, 2-second delay” does not accumulate spare time in the same way as 5+2 increment. Compare increment and delay with worked examples.

Five presets, five starting points

These are practical starting points for casual play, not tournament classifications or a promise that a setting suits every player. If either player feels rushed, choose more base time for the next game.

How long will the whole game take?

Without increment or delay, add both players' base times to find the total active-clock budget. A 5+0 game has ten minutes across both clocks. The board game can finish earlier, and pauses make the real-world session longer.

With increment, total available clock time grows with completed moves. In this clock, a 3+2 game that reaches 40 completed moves by each player has received 80 bonuses after moves, plus two initial bonuses: 360 + 160 + 4 = 524 seconds, or 8 minutes 44 seconds of combined available clock time. That is an illustrative budget, not a prediction of game length.

With delay, the time spent inside each delay also extends the real-world session without reducing base time. Move count, how much delay is used and pauses all matter; a single exact game-length estimate would be misleading.

Can the two players have different times?

Yes. For a casual handicap or practice arrangement, agree the values first. To set five minutes for Player A and three minutes for Player B:

1. Open the clock and select Presets, then Make it your own.
2. Enter 300 seconds for Player A.
3. Enable Different time for Player B and enter 180 seconds.
4. Choose no bonus, increment or delay, then apply the time control.

With a two-second Fischer increment, those starting values become 5:02 and 3:02. Flipping the displays changes their position, not player identity or time allocation.

Make a good setting easy to repeat

Name a custom preset, apply it and choose Save preset. It stays in the browser where you saved it. A rematch restores the selected control; it does not reuse the time left at the end of the previous game.

If you are still learning the physical flow, start with which clock to tap and when to pause. The free browser tool is ready without an account or app installation.