Chess Clock: Blitz Timer The chess clock in your pocket
Lay your iPhone next to the board and play. Chess Clock: Blitz Timer runs every time control from Bullet 1+0 to FIDE classical, with Fischer and Bronstein increments and digits you can read from across the table.
- Free download
- No ads
- No account
- Works 100% offline
Tap the running side to press the clock
- 36time controls, ready to start
- 16color themes for the clock
- 4ways to add time per move
- 0ads, accounts or sign-ups
This chess clock app turns your iPhone into a chess clock with Blitz, Rapid and FIDE time controls, Fischer increment, Bronstein delay and byo-yomi. The download is free, with no ads and no account, and the clock works fully offline. A chess clock is two linked timers, one per player, of which only one ever runs: after your move you press your side, which stops your time and starts your opponent's. The app does exactly that on the phone you already carry, as the digital alternative to a physical clock.
How it works
Three steps to the first move
Choose a time control
Pick a preset such as Blitz 3+2 or Rapid 15+10. You can also give each player a different time.
Put the phone between you
Each half faces one player. Turn either half in 90° steps until you both read your time the right way up.
Tap your side after each move
Your clock stops and your opponent's starts. The app adds increments and delays on its own.
Inside the app
Everything a club or tournament game needs
Real screens from the app.
Time Lab
Every format in one place
The six most played controls sit at the top: Bullet 1+0, Blitz 3+0 and 5+0, Rapid 10+0 and 15+10, Classical 60+0. Below them you'll find ultrabullet, lightning, tournament schedules, tiebreaks and byo-yomi.
Increments Pro
Fischer, Bronstein and US delay
Fischer adds a fixed bonus before or after each move. Bronstein gives back the time you used, up to a limit. With US delay your clock waits a few seconds before it starts to count down.
Custom editor Pro
Multi-phase tournament controls
Give each phase its own base time, move quota and increment, for example 90 minutes for 40 moves and then 30 more, with 30 seconds added from move one. Each phase runs as a game clock or a per-move clock.
Live Activity
Both times on the Lock Screen
Leave the app and the game keeps running. Both clocks stay visible on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
Game history Pro
Your last 10 games, with time stats
Every game is saved with its time control and result, plus moves, time used and the average time per move for each player.
Game result
Record how the game ended
A clock can't see checkmate, so you enter the result yourself: checkmate, resignation, draw by agreement, stalemate or dead position. In Armageddon, one tap applies Black's draw odds.
Presets for how you actually play
Every preset starts with one tap. The free ones are marked, and each category links to a guide that explains it.
- Bullet15 s30 s1+0 (Free)2+1
- Blitz3+0 (Free)3+25+0 (Free)5+3
- Rapid10+0 (Free)10+515+10 (Free)25+030+0
- Classical60+0 (Free)90+30
- FIDE90/40 + 30, +30 s
- USCF120+590+530+5
- Byo-Yomi30 min + 5 × 30 s
- Hourglass1 min (Free)10 min
- Tiebreak10 s30 s1 min
- Lightning3 s5 s10 s per move
- IncrementFischer 3+250+2Bronstein 5+320+10
- Armageddon6:00 vs 5:00, draw odds for Black
Free
Your clock, your colors
Sixteen themes, each with a light and a dark side. Classic black and white is free, and Pro adds the other fifteen.
Tap a theme to try it on the clock
Small details that matter at the board
The settings that make a phone behave like a tournament clock.
Turn each half
Rotate the top and bottom half on their own, so both players read the time the right way up.
Landscape mode Pro
Lay the phone flat with both halves side by side.
A quiet sound for tournament halls
Click and Chirp are free. The Quiet pack, made for silent tournament halls, comes with Pro.
Airplane mode reminder
A small icon on the clock reminds you to turn on Airplane Mode, so no call interrupts your time scramble.
Move counter
Keep the move number on screen, useful when a control adds time after move 40.
Correct the clock
Change a player's remaining time, move number or phase in the middle of a game, the way an arbiter would.
Saved setups Pro
Keep up to 10 setups, such as Club evening or Blitz in the park, and load one with a tap.
Private by design
No ads, no account and no tracking. Your games stay on your phone, and the clock runs in Airplane Mode.
Free and Pro
Free for casual games, Pro for tournaments
The free clock has no ads and covers the time controls most people play. Pro adds the rest, as a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time purchase.
Free
Free download
- Bullet 1+0, Blitz 3+0 and 5+0, Rapid 10+0 and 15+10, Classical 60+0, Hourglass 1 min
- Classic black and white theme
- Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island
- Turn each half, move counter, airplane mode reminder
- Click and Chirp sounds
Pro
Monthly, yearly or once
- All 36 presets, including FIDE, USCF, tiebreaks and byo-yomi
- Custom time controls with phases, move quotas and increments
- Fischer, Bronstein and US delay in any control
- 15 more color themes
- Quiet sound pack and landscape mode
- Up to 10 saved setups
- History of your last 10 games with time stats
Subscriptions renew until you cancel them in your App Store account settings.
No ads, no account, nothing to sync
Your games, settings and statistics stay on your iPhone. There's nothing to sign up for, and the clock works with Airplane Mode on, which is how you want it at the board.
Guides
Know your time controls
Short explainers on increments, delays and the formats played at clubs and tournaments.
- Free online chess clock and timerFree online chess clock and timer in your browser: tap to switch, presets from 1+0 to 15+10, Fischer increment, custom times. No download, no signup, no ads.
- Why use a chess clock app on your phone?Why a chess clock app beats dedicated hardware for casual and club play: always in your pocket, free, every time control from delay to byo-yomi, plus stats.
- Play chess with a friend on one phone: real board, shared timerPlay chess with a friend over the board using one phone as a two player chess timer: 10-second setup, etiquette, and fair time controls for uneven players.
- How a chess clock works: rules, history, and how to use oneHow a chess clock works: two linked timers, only one running at a time. Chess clock rules on pressing and flag fall, plus history from 1862 sandglasses onward.
- The Fischer increment, explainedWhat the Fischer increment in chess means, how bonus time per move works, increment before vs. after the move, why FIDE uses +30s — and how to set it up.
- Bronstein delay vs. simple delay: same math, different displayBronstein delay chess timing explained: how it works, why it equals US simple delay exactly, how both differ from Fischer increment, and when to use each.
- Blitz time controls: what 3+0, 3+2, 5+0 and 5+3 mean3+2 means 3 minutes per player plus 2 seconds after every move, the World Blitz control. Blitz time controls compared: 3+0, 3+2, 5+0 and 5+3.
- Bullet chess: what 1+0 and 2+1 mean, and playing it over the board2+1 means 2 minutes per player plus 1 second after every move; 1+0 is one minute flat. Bullet chess explained, over the board and with a phone timer.
- Rapid time controls: what 10+5, 15+10, 10+0 and 25+0 mean10+5 means 10 minutes per player plus 5 seconds after every move. Rapid chess time controls explained: 10+0, 10+5, 15+10 and 25+0, and which one to pick.
- Classical chess time controls: 60+0, 90+30 and the FIDE standardClassical chess time: FIDE gives each player 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes, plus 30 seconds per move. Also 60+0, 90+30 and what happens at move 40.
- Tournament time controls: FIDE and USCF, explainedTournament time controls explained: FIDE's 90/40+30 with 30s increment, USCF G/120 d5, junior and youth variants, and how multi-phase clocks track move 40.
- Byo-Yomi: the overtime timer of Go and ShogiHow byo-yomi timing works: main time plus fixed overtime periods, a 30 min + 5×30s walkthrough, differences from Fischer and Bronstein, and Go timer use.
- Hourglass mode: the chess clock that flows both waysHourglass chess clock mode explained: your thinking time is added to your opponent's clock. Rules, strategy, a 1-minute walkthrough, and why it's so fun.
- Time odds: handicap chess with different clocksTime odds explained: give the stronger player less time to make chess fair and fun. History, fair settings by rating gap, and per-player clock setup.
- The best chess clock app for iPhone: a buyer's guideHow to choose the best chess clock app for iPhone in 2026: timing precision, increments, multi-phase tournament controls, offline play, and no mid-game ads.
Frequently asked questions
Is the chess clock app free?
Yes. The clock and the most played time controls are free and show no ads: Bullet 1+0, Blitz 3+0 and 5+0, Rapid 10+0 and 15+10, Classical 60+0 and the 1-minute hourglass. Chess Clock Pro unlocks every preset, custom time controls with all increment modes, 15 more color themes, landscape mode, saved setups and game history. Pro is available monthly, yearly or as a one-time purchase.
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes, that is what the app is for. Lay the phone flat between you. The screen is split into two halves and the top half is turned by 180°, so each player reads their own time the right way up and taps their own side after a move.
Does it support Fischer increment and Bronstein delay?
Yes. The free Rapid 15+10 preset already adds 10 seconds per move. With Pro you can use Fischer increment before or after the move, Bronstein delay and simple US delay in any control, plus multi-phase tournament controls such as 40 moves in 90 minutes followed by 30 minutes with a 30-second increment.
Does it work offline?
Completely. The clock never needs an internet connection. Turning on Airplane Mode is even a good idea, so calls and notifications can't interrupt your game.
Can I use it for Go, Shogi or Scrabble?
Yes. Byo-yomi periods make it a proper Go and Shogi timer, and custom time controls work for Scrabble, backgammon or any other two-player game. Both are part of Pro.
Which devices does it run on?
The app runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 26 or later. It's available in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.
Ready to play?
Download Chess Clock for free and start your first game.
Or scan the code with your iPhone camera
Requires iOS 26 or later · iPhone and iPad