How to Use a Chess Clock

A chess clock is a useful tool when practicing chess, to time yourself when making moves in preparation for a chess tournament, or for a timed game against an opponent outside of tournament chess. The standard chess clock is very basic. It has two clock faces and two timing systems, with one for each player. The players set the clocks to count down the agreed-upon time (such as 40 moves in 2 hours, a chess standard for many tournaments) and when a player is playing, he or she has their clock "on" and counting down time. When the player makes her move, she pressed a lever or a button on her clock face and the timer begins timing on the opponent's clock face. Newer chess clocks are digital and clock a wide array of other chess issues. Learn how to use a chess clock and improve your game, prepare for tournaments and gain a firmer understanding of chess.

Instructions

1. Reset the clock. For manual clocks, set the clocks both to midnight/12:00. For digital clocks, reset to 0:00.

2. Set the time for your game. If your game time is three hours each, give each player three hours. For two hours, give each player two hours. On mechanical clocks, watch the flags.

3. Begin play. Be sure to hit the relay switch as soon as you have completed your move, to preserve as much of your game time as possible.

4. Watch to be sure that your opponent does not hit the relay switch too soon. If you are in a chess tournament game and your opponent hits the relay switch too soon, get a tournament director to help with the issue.

5. Respect time limits. When your time is up, it is up. Don't try to squeeze more time for the game. At the same time, conserve your time as best as possible to avoid losing on time.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your clock is in good working order before tournament games.

• To preserve batteries in manual clocks, set the relay switches parallel to each other to stop the clock (not when you're playing, of course).

• Never bang a chess clock hard intentionally.