Common time controls
The same control can have a different name depending on who is counting. The longest game assumes 40 moves each and every second used.
| Control | lichess | Chess.com | FIDE | Longest 40-move game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1+0 | Bullet | Bullet | Blitz | 2 minutes |
| 2+1 | Bullet | Bullet | Blitz | 5 minutes 18 seconds |
| 3+0 | Blitz | Blitz | Blitz | 6 minutes |
| 3+2 | Blitz | Blitz | Blitz | 8 minutes 36 seconds |
| 5+0 | Blitz | Blitz | Blitz | 10 minutes |
| 5+3 | Blitz | Blitz | Blitz | 13 minutes 54 seconds |
| 10+0 | Rapid | Rapid | Blitz | 20 minutes |
| 10+5 | Rapid | Rapid | Rapid | 26 minutes 30 seconds |
| 15+10 | Rapid | Rapid | Rapid | 43 minutes |
| 25+10 | Classical | Rapid | Rapid | 1 hour 3 minutes |
| G/30 d5 | Classical | Rapid | Rapid | 1 hour 6 minutes |
| G/60 d5 | Classical | Rapid | Standard | 2 hours 6 minutes |
| 30+30 | Classical | Rapid | Standard | 1 hour 39 minutes |
| 90+30 | Classical | Rapid | Standard | 3 hours 39 minutes |
| 90/40 + 30 + 30 | Classical | Rapid | Standard | 3 hours 39 minutes |
How each one decides
lichess estimates a game as the starting time plus 40 times the increment. Up to 29 seconds is UltraBullet, up to 2:59 bullet, up to 7:59 blitz, up to 24:59 rapid, and 25 minutes or more classical. That is why 5+3 (5 minutes plus 120 seconds, 7:00) is blitz.
Chess.com makes the same 40-move estimate with different lines: under 3 minutes is bullet, under 10 is blitz, and 10 or more is rapid. Its live games have no classical category, so 2+12 (2 minutes plus 480 seconds, exactly 10:00) is already rapid.
FIDE, in the Laws of Chess, counts 60 moves instead of 40. Starting time plus 60 times the increment of 10 minutes or less is blitz, more than 10 and under 60 is rapid, and a game with at least 60 minutes each is a standard (classical) game. So 10+0 is rapid online and blitz at an over-the-board event.
None of the three counts a delay or Bronstein bonus, because neither can add time to a clock. Those are left out of the categories here and counted in the longest game.
How long a game can last
With no bonus, a game can't last longer than both starting times together. An increment adds its seconds after each move, so the longest game grows with the number of moves; the bonus after a player's last move is never spent. A delay is spent before the clock counts on every move, the last one included. In a two-stage control the second stage's time arrives on the last move of the first, so it only counts once a game goes past it.
Real games are shorter: players don't use every second, and most games end long before move 80. Use the longest game to book a room or plan a round, not to guess the result.
Run the clock and keep the score
Every control in the table above is a one-tap preset in Chess Clock & Scorepad, our free app, with increment, delay and Bronstein timed exactly. It can also keep the scoresheet: make each move on a board and the clock presses itself.
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More for over-the-board games:
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Frequently asked questions
What does 15+10 mean in chess?
Each player starts with 15 minutes, and 10 seconds are added to a player's clock after every move they make. The first number is minutes, the second is seconds. 15+10 is rapid on lichess, on Chess.com and by FIDE's rules.
Is 10 minutes blitz or rapid?
It depends who you ask. A 10+0 game is rapid on lichess and Chess.com, which both count anything from 10 minutes up as rapid or slower. FIDE's Laws of Chess call 10 minutes or less blitz, so the same game is blitz in an over-the-board event.
How long is a chess game?
As long as its time control allows. With no increment, a game can't last longer than twice the starting time: a 5+0 game is over within 10 minutes. With an increment it depends on the number of moves; a 40-move game at 15+10 can last up to 43 minutes, and an 80-move classical game at 90+30 can run past four hours.
What does G/30 d5 mean?
It's US Chess notation for a game in 30 minutes each, with a 5-second delay: on every move the clock waits 5 seconds before it starts counting down. Unlike an increment, unused delay is lost, so a clock never ends a move with more time than it started with.
What is the FIDE classical time control?
The control most FIDE-rated classical events use is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes more for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added after every move from the first. It's written 90/40 + 30 + 30. Type it above to see how long it can take.
How do lichess and Chess.com decide if a game is blitz?
Both take the starting time and add 40 times the increment, the time a 40-move game gives each player. Chess.com calls under 3 minutes bullet, under 10 blitz and 10 or more rapid. lichess calls up to 2:59 bullet, up to 7:59 blitz, up to 24:59 rapid and anything longer classical.