Timers guide
Chess Time Controls: Bullet, Blitz, Rapid, and Increments
What 1+0, 3+2, and 10+0 actually mean, how increments change play, and which control fits your goals.
Written by James — Founder & Builder, BoringToolsKit · Published 2026 · Planning information, not professional advice.
Reading the notation
Minutes per side, plus increment seconds per move. 3+2 means three minutes plus two extra seconds banked every move — very different from 3+0, where the clock only runs down.
Increment changes the game
With an increment, time can grow: careful play adds seconds faster than you spend them. Without one, every second spent is gone, so pre-moves and flag races define bullet play.
Pick by goal, not ego
Bullet trains speed and pattern recognition; blitz is the workhorse for openings practice; rapid gives time to calculate and is the best learning format. Classical (60+) is for tournament preparation.