Chess Time Controls: Bullet, Blitz, Rapid and Classical

What do 3+2 or 15+10 mean? Learn the chess time controls (bullet, blitz, rapid, classical), increments and delays, and FIDE and USCF categories.

Almost every chess game today is played with a clock. Each player has their own pool of time, and if it runs out, they usually lose. How much time you get is called the time control, and it changes the game completely: a one-minute bullet game and a four-hour tournament game feel like two different sports.

How does a chess clock work?

A chess clock has two timers, one per player. Only the timer of the player whose turn it is runs. After you make your move, you press your side of the clock, which stops your timer and starts your opponent's.

If your time reaches zero, your flag falls and you lose the game, with one important exception: if your opponent cannot possibly checkmate you (for example, they only have a king), the game is a draw. See draw rules for details.

Over the board, press the clock with the same hand you used to move the piece. Online, the clock switches automatically when you move. Flag falls, delay settings and clock etiquette are covered in our chess clock rules guide.

How to read a time control like "3+2"

Online time controls are written as minutes + seconds:

• The first number is each player's starting time in minutes.
• The second number is the increment: seconds added to your clock after every move you make.

So 3+2 means three minutes each, plus two seconds per move. 10+0 means ten minutes each with no increment. 15+10 means fifteen minutes plus ten seconds per move.

In US tournaments you will also see notation such as G/90;+30 (game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment) or G/60;d5 (game in 60 minutes with a 5-second delay). Classical events sometimes have two periods, like 40/90, SD/30;+30: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 more minutes "sudden death" for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment throughout.

Increment vs delay

• Increment (also called Fischer time, after Bobby Fischer, who invented it) adds a fixed number of seconds to your clock after each move. You can build up time by moving quickly.
• Delay is common in US Chess events. With a 5-second delay, your clock waits five seconds before it starts counting down on each move. If you move within the delay, you lose no time, but you cannot bank extra time.

Both solve the same problem: they stop a game from being lost purely on time in a won position when only seconds remain.

The main time controls

Bullet chess

Under 3 minutes per player (estimated). Typical bullet games are 1+0 or 2+1. Moves come in about a second each, so bullet tests reflexes and pattern recognition more than calculation. Games under about 15 seconds are sometimes called "ultrabullet".

Blitz chess

Roughly 3 to 8 minutes online, such as 3+0, 3+2 or 5+0. FIDE defines blitz as 10 minutes or less per player. Blitz is the most popular time control online; there is just enough time for a quick plan but little time to double-check.

Rapid chess

Roughly 8 to 25 minutes online, such as 10+0, 10+5 or 15+10. FIDE defines rapid as more than 10 and less than 60 minutes per player. Rapid is long enough to think properly and still fits a game into a coffee break.

Classical chess

Long games of 60 minutes or more per player, also called standard or slow chess. FIDE events often use 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest, with a 30-second increment from move one. Classical chess is where players think deeply and where official titles and norms are earned.

Daily (correspondence) chess

Days per move instead of minutes. You make a move whenever you have time, which suits busy schedules and deep thinking. Chessyo offers daily games with one or more days per move.

How Chessyo and other sites group time controls

Online sites need a rule for games with increments. Chessyo, like Lichess, uses the estimated game time: starting time plus 40 times the increment (assuming a game of about 40 moves).

• Bullet: under 3 minutes estimated (for example 1+0, 2+1)
• Blitz: 3 to under 8 minutes (3+0, 3+2, 5+0, 5+3)
• Rapid: 8 to under 25 minutes (10+0, 10+5, 15+10)
• Classical: 25 minutes or more (30+0, 30+20)

So 5+3 counts as blitz (5 + 40 × 3 s = 7 minutes), while 10+0 is rapid. Other sites use similar but slightly different cutoffs, so the same game may count as blitz on one site and rapid on another.

Each category has its own rating, because skill at bullet and skill at classical chess are quite different. Learn more in chess ratings explained.

Official FIDE and US Chess categories

• FIDE counts the time for a 60-move game (starting time plus 60 times the increment): blitz is 10 minutes or less, rapid is more than 10 and less than 60 minutes, and standard is 60 minutes or more. FIDE keeps separate standard, rapid and blitz ratings.
• US Chess (USCF) has separate regular, quick and blitz ratings. Quick covers games of roughly 10 to 65 minutes, blitz covers short games of about 10 minutes or less, and many games between 30 and 65 minutes are dual-rated, counting for both regular and quick ratings.

Which time control is best for beginners?

If your goal is to improve, play rapid (10+5 or 15+10) or longer:

• You have time to check every move for hanging pieces and simple tactics.
• You can practice the thinking habits that win games, rather than just reacting.
• Your games are worth reviewing afterward.

Bullet and blitz are fun, but playing lots of fast games mostly reinforces your existing habits, good and bad. A good mix for improvement is mostly rapid games, a few blitz games for fun, and some puzzles every day. Our guide on how to get better at chess has a full training plan.