The chess clock
Pressing the clock, time controls from bullet to classical, and losing on time.
The idea
Press the clock after each move; if your flag falls, you usually lose.
- White has a king and a queen, but White’s time runs out.
- Black has only a king, which can never give checkmate.
- So the game is a draw, not a loss for White.
In a game: Glance at both clocks every few moves, and keep time in hand for the end.
The lesson
In a game with a time limit each player has a clock. A chess clock is two clocks in one case, with a button for each player. When you have made your move, press your button: your clock stops and your opponent’s starts.
Press the clock with the same hand you moved the piece with. Online, the site does this for you the moment you move.
A question
You have just moved your knight with your right hand. What do you do next?
Show the answer
Press the clock with your right hand.
Right. The rules say you press the clock with the same hand that made the move.
A time control says how much time each player has. It is often written as two numbers. 5+3 means 5 minutes each for the whole game, and 3 seconds added to your clock after every move you make. The added time is called the increment.
Games are grouped by speed. Bullet gives each player a minute or two. Blitz gives a few minutes, such as 3 or 5. Rapid gives from about 10 minutes to under an hour. Classical gives an hour or more. Chess sites draw these lines in their own places.
A question
In a 3+2 game, how much time do you have?
Show the answer
3 minutes for the whole game, and 2 more seconds after each move you make.
Right. The first number is your time for the game in minutes, the second the increment in seconds.
A question
Which of these time controls is a blitz game?
Show the answer
3+2.
Right. Three minutes each with two seconds a move is blitz.
A question
If your time runs out, your flag falls and you lose, however good your position. There is one exception: the game is a draw if your opponent could not give checkmate by any series of legal moves.
White’s time runs out here. White has a king and a queen, Black only a king. What is the result?
Show the answer
A draw.
Right. White’s flag fell, but Black could never give mate, so the game is drawn. White still threw away a won game: watch your clock.
A question
Now it is Black whose time runs out. White has only a king and a knight. Black has a king and a pawn. What is the result?
Show the answer
White wins on time.
Right. White could give mate if Black played badly, so Black loses on time.
Find the move
Here is a mate that can happen. Give White the move in the same position, and the knight mates at once. Find it.
A hint
The knight checks the king from a square the king cannot reach.
Show the answer
1. Nf7#
Nf7 is checkmate. The black pawn on h7 takes its own king’s last square, and the white king covers g7 and g8. Because a mate like this can happen, the player whose time ran out loses.
In numbers
Games lost on time
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 21% |
| 800 to 1199 | 19% |
| 1200 to 1599 | 19% |
| 1600 to 1999 | 22% |
| 2000 and up | 23% |