Time controls shape how chess games unfold, and choosing the right one can make the difference between a thoughtful contest and a frantic scramble. If you're setting up a digital timer for your next session, a good clock app handles the math for you, so you don't need to carry a physical DGT clock or worry about getting the increment right by hand.
The classic time controls
- Bullet: roughly 1 to 2 minutes per player, where every second counts and games often come down to who runs out of time first.
- Blitz: roughly 3 to 5 minutes per player, a popular format for quick online matches and casual tournaments.
- Rapid: roughly 10 to 30 minutes per player, giving enough time for deeper planning without the commitment of a full classical game.
- Classical: 60 minutes or more per player, the traditional format for serious competition where players have time to think through complex positions.
Each of these time controls can be played with or without an increment, and the choice of increment or delay affects how the clock behaves during your game.
Fischer increment
In Fischer increment, you receive a fixed number of seconds added to your clock after each move. If you have 10 seconds of increment and your clock shows 5 seconds remaining when you make a move, your clock will display 15 seconds after the increment is applied. This means that if you keep a buffer of time, you effectively bank extra seconds over the course of the game. Fischer increment rewards players who maintain their time throughout the game, and it is the standard increment system used in online chess platforms and modern over-the-board tournaments. The key feature is that you never lose the increment you have already banked—it stays in your clock until you spend it.
Bronstein delay
In Bronstein delay, your clock waits a fixed amount of time before your main time starts counting down after each move. If you set a 5-second delay and your clock shows 3 seconds remaining when you move, the clock will wait those 3 seconds and then begin counting down from 5 seconds, giving you a net gain of 2 seconds. If your clock shows 7 seconds remaining, the clock will wait 5 seconds and then start counting down from 7, so you have used 5 seconds but gained nothing extra. The key difference from Fischer increment is that in Bronstein delay you get back up to the delay amount but never bank extra seconds beyond that. This creates a slightly different feel to the game, as the delay smooths out the experience of making quick moves without the same potential for building a large time buffer.
Which should you pick?
If you play tournament-style chess or want to avoid flag-fall scrambles where both players run out of time simultaneously, Fischer increment is the better choice because it rewards consistent time management. If you prefer a closer feel to classic play and don't mind the delay smoothing out your quick moves, Bronstein delay works well. For the simplest casual game with no extra complexity, a flat timer with no increment or delay is perfectly adequate. Your choice depends on how much you value time management as part of the game.
Setting it up
Chess Clock, a two-player iOS timer with two big tap zones and two countdowns, makes setting up any of these time controls straightforward. The app offers a free 5-minute flat timer (ad-free) for casual play, and a subscription that unlocks bullet, blitz, rapid, and classical presets plus Fischer increment and Bronstein delay. You tap your side to end your turn, and the clock handles the increment or delay calculations automatically. The app also works for Scrabble and other turn-based board games where you want a simple countdown timer for each player.