An online chess clock is a two-player game timer: each player has their own clock, and only the clock of the player to move runs down. To use it, open the chess clock, pick a time control, then tap your own side after every move to stop your clock and start your opponent’s. If a clock reaches zero it flags, showing that player ran out of time.
It runs in your browser, free, with no sign-up, and keeps working offline once loaded, so it works as a backup clock when your set does not have one.
Set a time control
A time control is the starting time plus any bonus. Pick a preset or set your own:
- Base time. The minutes each player begins with. Both sides start equal.
- Increment. Seconds added to your clock after each move you make.
- Delay. Seconds that pass before your clock starts counting on your turn.
Common controls are written as base plus increment. 3+2 is three minutes each with two seconds added per move. 5+0 is five minutes each with no bonus. 15+10 suits a longer, more thoughtful game.
Play a game
- Set the time control and place the device between both players.
- The player with the white pieces moves first on the board, then taps the other side to start. The first tap begins the opponent’s clock.
- After each of your moves, tap your own side to stop your clock and pass the turn.
- The active clock is highlighted, so it is always clear whose time is running.
- If a clock hits zero it flags. That player is out of time.
The second player’s clock is shown upside down, so two people sitting across a table each read their own clock the right way up.
Increment and delay, and why they matter
Without any bonus, a winning position can still be lost simply because a player runs out of time while thinking. Increment and delay soften that.
Increment rewards quick, confident moves by handing seconds back, which keeps a game alive even when both clocks get low. Delay is gentler still: it gives you a few free seconds each turn before your clock moves, without letting time accumulate. For casual games, a small increment like two or three seconds keeps things fair without dragging them out.
Beyond chess
The same clock works for any turn-based game where each player should get a fair share of thinking time, from draughts to two-player card games. If you only need to time a single side rather than alternate between two, the stopwatch or a plain online timer is the simpler tool.