Give each player time to think
In a longer session, the clock still has the same job: keep separate time budgets for two players and switch the active timer after each move. More starting time gives you room to calculate without changing the basic tap-to-switch workflow.
The app includes a free 10 minute preset and quick tournament presets. Choose the available format that fits your session. If you want a specific starting time beyond the standard options, Pro unlocks custom game lengths. Do not assume that every longer format is a free numeric preset.
Rapid and Classical are both represented in the current App Store positioning. This guide focuses on practical setup, rather than claiming an official classification for every possible combination of minutes and bonus seconds.
Agree on minutes, mode and seconds
A useful time-control agreement has three parts: the starting time per player, the timing system, and its increment or delay value. “Ten minutes” says nothing about whether you also receive extra time after a move.
- Select an available starting-time preset or your Pro custom duration.
- Choose the timing mode together.
- Pick an available common value, or a custom Pro value.
- Read the summary before starting.
- Place the device beside your board and use Start.
Keep the same setup for a few games if you want to compare results fairly. Switching from increment to delay changes how time can accumulate even when the extra-seconds setting stays the same.
Use Fischer when you want time to accumulate
Fischer increment adds a fixed bonus after each completed move. If a player moves faster than the increment, their clock can grow. If they take longer, the bonus returns only part of the time they spent.
As a timing illustration, a turn that begins with two minutes, takes seven seconds and earns five seconds ends with 1:58. A two-second turn under the same increment ends with 2:03. These examples describe the calculation; they do not promise a particular named preset is included.
The Fischer increment guide explains what the plus notation means and why the bonus cannot revive a clock after flag fall.
Use delay when unused seconds should not build up
Bronstein delay refunds the time spent on a completed turn up to the selected delay. US Delay waits for its delay allowance before the main time starts falling. With either delay system, moving faster than the delay does not bank unused seconds for later moves.
For example, with a five-second allowance, a three-second move uses no settled main time, while an eight-second move uses three seconds. The display behavior differs, and the app’s Bronstein clock must be pressed before its countdown reaches zero. See Bronstein delay and the timing comparison for that distinction.
Pause the clock for an agreed interruption
Pause and resume are included in the free app. Use pause when both players agree to interrupt the game, rather than changing turns simply to stop your own time. On resuming, check which player should be thinking.
The clock includes flag-fall detection and an end-of-game signal, with tenths displayed below one minute. A long starting time can still lead to a time scramble; use the mode you agreed on throughout the game. The app does not know the position on the board and does not adjudicate a win or draw from the pieces.
Look back at the session
Record a White win, Black win or draw and use the free game history to review the outcome. Entries include move count, time control and timestamps. This helps distinguish a session at one format from a later session at another, but it is not a scoresheet or move-by-move replay.
The app has no ads and no subscription. Common modes and timing values are free; Pro is for custom game lengths and advanced values. See the iPhone chess clock workflow if you are new to using a device beside a physical board. For organized play, check the organizer’s device and clock requirements first.
Product features: Chess Clock on the App Store. Standard timing modes are free; Pro unlocks custom values.