Using a Chess Clock as a Board Game Timer
Beyond chess · Any two-player game · Updated 2026-07-10
A chess clock doesn't care what's on the board - it only knows whose turn it is. That makes it the best cure for the universal board-game disease: the player who takes five minutes per turn.
The right settings per game, straight from each game's tournament scene:
Settings by game
| Game | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 25 min sudden death | Official tournament standard; 10-pt penalty per minute over |
| Go | 30-60 min + Bronstein 30s | Approximates byo-yomi overtime periods |
| Backgammon | 8 min + 12s delay per point | US match-play convention (2 min/point + delay) |
| Checkers/Draughts | 5-15 min sudden death | Casual to club pace |
| Magic & card duels | 25 min sudden death | Mirrors 50-min two-player rounds |
| Any family game | Simple delay 30-60s, big base | The delay IS the turn timer |
Three tricks non-chess players never think of
- The delay is a per-turn timer. Set a huge base time (30 min) with a 45-second simple delay and you've built a '45 seconds per turn' game where the base clock only punishes chronic overrunners.
- Hourglass mode fixes downtime whining. Time you burn goes to your opponent - the slower your friend plays, the more thinking time you bank. Self-balancing.
- Handicap the veteran. Teaching someone Scrabble? Give yourself 12 minutes to their 25 with time odds - same trick chess coaches use.
Why this app over a kitchen timer
Full-half-screen touch targets survive excited players, themes keep both sides readable across the table (Daylight for bright rooms, Cafe for warm ones), haptics and sounds confirm every press, and custom presets remember your house rules per game. Player names on the clock settle whose turn it was - permanently.
One timer for game night. Six timing mechanisms, per-player handicaps, twelve themes, and unlimited saved presets. Free 7-day trial on the App Store. Download Chess Clock: Board Game Timer on the App Store.
Frequently asked questions
How long is each side's clock in tournament Scrabble?
25 minutes per player, sudden death, with a 10-point penalty for each minute (or part of one) you exceed it. Casual games play great at 15-20 minutes.
Can a chess clock do Go byo-yomi?
Not exactly - true byo-yomi gives discrete overtime periods. But Bronstein delay of 30 seconds approximates one-period byo-yomi closely: you get up to 30 free seconds every move once you're 'in overtime' from the start. Many Go players find it plays nearly identically.
How do I set a per-turn time limit for a board game?
Use simple delay as the turn timer: set the delay to your per-turn limit (say 45 seconds) and the base time high (30 minutes). Turns end within the delay for free; only slow players ever touch their base clock.
What's a good timer setting for Catan or other multiplayer games?
A two-player chess clock covers duels; for 3+ players, run the clock between 'active player' and 'everyone else' during head-to-head phases, or use the delay-as-turn-timer trick and rotate the phone. Dedicated multiplayer modes are a different tool.