The time control is the thinking time allotted to each player for the whole game. Under the FIDE Laws of Chess, a game is blitz if each player has 10 minutes or less, a rapid game if between more than 10 and less than 60 minutes, and a classical (standard) game from 60 minutes upwards. The increment counts: you add the base time and 60 times the increment.
Announced in each tournament's regulations, the time control determines everything else: the length of a round, whether moves must be recorded, the penalties for irregularities and the rating in which the game will be counted. The definitions below come from the FIDE Laws of Chess in force since 1 January 2023 (Appendices A and B for rapid and blitz) and from their official translation in the FFE's Arbiter's Handbook (Livre de l'arbitre).
Chess time controls in one table
To classify a time control with an increment, FIDE takes a theoretical 60-move game: you add 60 times the increment to the base time. So 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move gives 3 + 2 = 5 minutes: that is blitz.
| Time control | Time per player (base + 60 × increment) | Examples | FIDE rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet | Less than 3 minutes (a term in common use, not a FIDE category) | 1 min; 2 min + 1 s | None |
| Blitz | 10 minutes or less | 3 min + 2 s (= 5 min); 5 min + 3 s (= 8 min); 5 min + 5 s (= 10 min) | Blitz rating |
| Rapid | More than 10 and less than 60 minutes | 10 min + 5 s (= 15 min); 15 min + 10 s (= 25 min) | Rapid rating |
| Classical (standard) | 60 minutes or more | 30 min + 30 s (= 60 min); 90 min + 30 s (= 120 min); 90 min for 40 moves then 30 min, + 30 s | Standard rating, if the minimum time is met |
The case of 30 minutes + 30 seconds per move is a classic trap: it looks like a rapid time control, but 30 + 30 = 60 minutes makes it a classical game in the FIDE sense. To count towards the FIDE standard rating, a game must also meet a minimum time that depends on the level of the players: 60 minutes if both are rated below 1800, 90 minutes if one is rated 1800 or above, 120 minutes if one is rated 2400 or above. On the blitz side, the FFE's Arbiter's Handbook specifies that a time control must exceed 3 minutes to be accepted for the FIDE rating: bullet therefore does not qualify.
Blitz chess: the 10-minute rule
Blitz is the most played time control, in clubs and online alike. In tournaments, the benchmark time control is 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move, that of the FIDE World Blitz Championships; 5 minutes + 3 seconds is also very common, notably in tiebreaks. In blitz as in rapid, players do not have to record the moves, and penalties are lighter: an illegal move or an incorrect draw claim gives the opponent an extra minute, instead of two minutes in classical play.
Playing fast cannot be improvised: Le Palais des Échecs presents techniques for playing blitz well, from time management to suitable openings.
The rapid game
The rapid game occupies the middle ground, between more than 10 and less than 60 minutes. It allows five to nine rounds in a day: it is the format of Sunday rapid opens, of the World Rapid Championships (15 minutes + 10 seconds in 2025) and of many tiebreaks. In France, the FFE keeps a specific national rating, the FFE rapid Elo, and the B licence is enough for most rapid tournaments.
The classical game
A classical game gives each player at least 60 minutes. Elite tournaments often use multi-stage time controls, with a control at move 40:
| Competition | Time control |
|---|---|
| 2026 Candidates Tournament, Tata Steel Chess 2026 | 120 min for 40 moves, then 30 min, + 30 s per move from move 41 |
| 2025 FIDE World Cup | 90 min for 40 moves, then 30 min, + 30 s per move from move 41 |
| Top 16 (interclub) 2026 | 90 min for 40 moves, then 30 min, + 30 s per move from move 1 |
| CapEchecs 2026 (opens) | 1 h 30 + 30 s per move |
In classical play, each player must record their own moves and their opponent's on the scoresheet. They are exempt only if they have less than five minutes left and the time control does not add at least 30 seconds per move.
The Fischer increment and other clock modes
The Fischer time control adds a fixed increment to the player's time after each move. World champion Bobby Fischer had a clock based on this principle patented in the United States (application filed in 1988, patent granted in 1989), and the format was first used in his return match against Boris Spassky in 1992. The idea had, however, been anticipated by a clock patented as early as 1978. Today, most major tournaments use an increment: it prevents endgames being lost on time in a winning position.
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Increment (Fischer) | The time added on each move accumulates: playing fast banks time for later |
| Bronstein delay | The time actually used is given back after the move, up to the delay: time cannot be accumulated |
| US delay (simple delay) | The clock waits a few seconds before it starts counting down: the same effect, without accumulation |
These modes are set on approved electronic clocks, such as the DGT 3000: see the page on the tournament chess clock.
Time trouble (Zeitnot)
Zeitnot (from the German Zeit, time, and Not, distress) describes the situation of a player who has almost no time left. It is the time of mistakes and reversals, and the point at which the arbiter keeps a close eye on the clock and the scoresheet. The word dates from the days of time controls without increment, when a player could lose a dominant position on time.
Time control, regulations and rating: what changes from one time control to another
| Rule | Classical game | Rapid and blitz |
|---|---|---|
| Recording the moves | Compulsory (except with less than 5 min and no increment of at least 30 s) | Not compulsory |
| First completed illegal move | 2 minutes added to the opponent's clock | 1 minute added to the opponent's clock |
| Second completed illegal move | Game lost (drawn if the opponent cannot checkmate) | Game lost (drawn if the opponent cannot checkmate) |
| FIDE rating | Standard rating | Rapid or blitz rating |
A competition's regulations announce its time control before the start; it then applies to every round. It is a key factor in choosing a tournament, along with the pairing system and the number of rounds. In a dispute over time, the falling of the flag or a claim, it is the arbiter who rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between blitz and rapid in chess?
According to FIDE, blitz gives each player 10 minutes or less (base time plus 60 times the increment), and a rapid game more than 10 and less than 60 minutes. Both have their own FIDE ratings and lighter rules (no compulsory scorekeeping, one-minute penalties).
What is the Fischer time control?
It is a time control in which a fixed amount of time, the increment, is added to the player's clock after each move, for example 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move. Bobby Fischer patented a clock based on this principle in 1989, first used in 1992.
What is time trouble in chess?
Time trouble, known in chess circles by the German word Zeitnot (Zeit meaning time and Not meaning distress), is the situation of a player who has almost no time left on the clock and must play very fast, at the risk of making mistakes or losing on time.
Is a game at 30 minutes + 30 seconds a rapid game?
No. Under the 60-move rule, 30 minutes + 60 × 30 seconds makes 60 minutes: that is a classical game in the FIDE sense.