Chess Clock: Board Game Timer - Two-player chess clock

A precise, beautiful chess clock for two players - six real time controls, tournament-grade timing, Apple Watch, and a look you'll want on the table.

Download Chess Clock: Board Game Timer on the App Store

What Chess Clock: Board Game Timer does

• Six real time controls - sudden death, Fischer increment, Bronstein delay, simple delay, hourglass, and multi-stage tournament format
• Handicap mode for asymmetric clocks - give one side more time for teaching and training
• Standard presets plus a custom builder for any base time, increment, or delay
• Twelve themes - from a strict Tournament board to Neon, Ocean, Sunset, and Cafe - plus a landscape Stream View for broadcasting
• Three low-latency sound packs, Core Haptics, and spoken low-time warnings
• Native Apple Watch app and complications, synced from your iPhone
• Game history and stats with optional iCloud sync across your devices
• Private by design - zero third-party SDKs, zero analytics
• Train - 37,000+ offline tactics puzzles, a daily puzzle, Puzzle Rush, spaced-repetition review, an opening trainer, and a board-vision coordinate drill
• Coach - on-device time-management insights from how you actually used your clock
• Unlimited presets, every theme, the Apple Watch app, iCloud sync, and stats

Guides

• How to Use a Chess Clock: Rules & Etiquette - Press the clock with the same hand that moved the piece, never hover, and let Black start White's clock. Full rules, X+Y notation, flag falls, and etiquette.
• Chess Time Controls Explained: Bullet, Blitz, Rapid & Classical - Bullet is under 3 minutes per player, blitz is 10 or less, rapid is over 10 and under 60, classical is 60 plus. Charts, examples, and increment math inside.
• Increment vs Delay: Fischer, Bronstein & Simple Delay - Fischer increment adds seconds every move and can raise your clock; Bronstein and simple delay give a free window but never add time. Worked math inside.
• Time Odds in Chess: Handicap Clock Settings That Work - Time odds handicap chess by giving the stronger player less time, such as 5 minutes vs 1. Get ratios, asymmetric increment setups, and exact per-move math.
• Using a Chess Clock as a Board Game Timer - A chess clock times any alternating-turn game: Scrabble allots 25 minutes per player, Go uses byo-yomi periods, and a simple delay works as a turn timer.
• Chess Tactics Training: Puzzles, Puzzle Rush & Spaced Repetition - Train tactics with about 30 minutes of daily puzzles: solve slowly to full calculation, repeat sets in faster Woodpecker cycles, and add timed clock drills.
• How Long Is a Chess Game? (Every Format, Timed Out) - Most timed chess games take 10 to 60 minutes: about 2 for 1+0 bullet, 6 to 10 for 5+0 blitz, 25 to 40 for 15+10 rapid, and 2 to 4 hours for classical 90+30.
• Blitz Chess Time: How Long a Blitz Game Actually Is - Blitz chess gives each player 10 minutes or less: 3+0, 3+2, 5+0, and 5+3 are standard. A 3+2 game of 40 moves lasts at most 8 minutes 40 seconds of clock time.
• Bullet Chess Time Control: 1+0, 2+1, Hyper and Ultra - Bullet chess gives each player under 3 minutes per game. 1+0 is standard, 2+1 the common increment version. Exact budgets, worked math, and speed technique.
• Rapid Chess Time Control: Minutes, Boundaries & 15+10 - Rapid chess is more than 10 and under 60 minutes per player. Common controls: 10+0, 10+5, 15+10, 25+10. See exact game lengths, setup, and pacing.
• Classical Chess Time Control: The FIDE Standard Explained - Classical chess is 60 minutes or more per player. The FIDE standard is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes, with a 30-second increment from move one.

All Chess Clock: Board Game Timer guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you use a chess clock?

After making your move on the board, press your side of the clock with the same hand that moved the piece. Your timer stops and your opponent's starts. Black traditionally chooses which side the clock sits on, and White's clock is started first to begin the game. Run out of time and you lose on a flag fall - if your opponent still has mating material.

Which time controls does the app support?

All six that real players use: sudden death, Fischer increment, Bronstein delay, simple delay, hourglass, and multi-stage tournament formats like 40 moves in 90 minutes plus 30. There are 12 ready-made presets across Bullet, Blitz, Rapid, and Classical, plus unlimited custom presets with a multi-stage builder.

How many minutes is blitz, rapid and classical chess?

Per the FIDE Laws of Chess, blitz is 10 minutes or less per player, rapid is more than 10 and less than 60, and standard (classical) is 60 minutes or more - counting base time plus 60 times any increment. Bullet, under 3 minutes, is an online convention FIDE does not define.

How long does a game of chess take?

Most games run 10 to 60 minutes: about 3 minutes for 1+0 bullet, 10 to 15 for 3+2 blitz, 40 to 60 for 15+10 rapid. A classical tournament game on 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes takes 4 to 6 hours.

What's the difference between increment and delay?

Increment (Fischer) adds seconds to your clock after every move, so time can accumulate. Delay gives you a grace period each turn before your main time starts draining - simple delay counts it down visibly, Bronstein adds back what you used, up to the delay amount. US tournaments typically use 5-second delay; FIDE events use 30-second increment.

What is handicap mode (time odds)?

Each player gets a different starting time - say 10 minutes for the student and 3 for the coach, or 60 seconds against a beginner's 10 minutes. It's the classic way to make games competitive between players of different strengths without changing the pieces.

Can I use it as a timer for Scrabble, Go, or other board games?

Yes - it's a general two-player game timer. Tournament Scrabble uses 25 minutes per side (sudden death), Go players can approximate byo-yomi with Bronstein or simple delay, and the hourglass mode is a fun pressure format for casual games. Custom presets cover whatever your table plays.

What is the Train tab?

A complete chess trainer built into the clock: 37,000+ tactics puzzles solved fully on-device, a daily puzzle, Puzzle Rush, themed drills, and spaced-repetition review of the ones you miss. There's also an opening trainer, a board-vision coordinate drill, and a Coach that reads your real clock usage and gives time-management insights.

Is Chess Clock: Board Game Timer free?

The app is free to download and comes with a 7-day free trial of everything. Pocket Pro unlocks the full clock afterward - unlimited presets, every theme, the Apple Watch app, iCloud sync and stats - as a subscription managed through your Apple Account.

Does it work offline, and what about privacy?

Everything runs on-device - the clock, the puzzles, the stats. No account, no sign-in, zero third-party SDKs, zero analytics. Game history syncs across your own devices with iCloud if you want it to.

Is there an Apple Watch app?

Yes - a native watchOS clock with complications, synced from your iPhone. Handy for post-blitz stats or running a casual game straight from the wrist.

Can I use it on stream?

Stream View outputs a clean, green-screen-friendly layout made for OBS and live broadcasts - your viewers see both clocks, big and readable, while you play.