It is a well known fact that chess players who compete at tournaments must play efficiently and without delay. At tournaments players have a short amount of time to plan their move and they are aided by the chess game clock. The chess clock was not around in the old days, yet it is difficult now to find a chess competition, amateur or professional alike, that does not follow chess clock rules.

There are 2 common types of chess clocks--the traditional (analog or digital) clock and Fischer-clock. The traditional chess clock has 2 time counters, 1 for each player. Once a player makes his move, he pushes down a button which completly stops his counter and starts the opponent's. This process continues until the conclusion of the game. In analog clocks there is a flag that will drop if time has concluded for one player, while digital clocks will beep to denote that. The Fischer-clock, recommended and named in honor of former World Champion Grandmaster Robert Fischer, is applied in a similar way. The difference is that a constant amount of time (say 5 or 10 seconds) is added after every move. This aids players from getting into time-trouble.

The negotiated time controls are in relevance with the chess game clock used. Time controls may vary from game to game. Players need to think of the time controls declared when a tournament is to be entered.

Various time controls give chess games different names. A standard game most commonly has a time quota of 2 hours or more. A speedy game falls in the range of 20-45 minutes, and a blitz game in the range 5-15 minutes. There are even shorter time controls, for example 3 minutes per game or 1 minute per game, commonly referred to as 'lightning' or 'bullet', mostly played online. One that is not so familiar with chess will find them tiring.

But what happens if a player fails to accomplish his move in time? Typically, he loses the game. There is an exception--if the player who still has time does not have adequate material to win, then the game is drawn. Adding to this, a player who would usually win the game, had he sufficient time, can call the arbiter and suggest a draw. The arbiter will view the position and make his decision. There are some issues pertaining to time controls but they are usually tournament-specific. In most tournaments, players are responsible for checking their opponent's time; in others the arbiter might point to a flag fall as well. These details are indeed of minor importance and chess clock rules are reconsidered every now and then.

What is truly important is the way a player makes use of his time. A player should try to avoid getting into trouble. One ought to try playing slower, or he risks blundering. Use of time should be logical. If 2 hours are available for the whole game, this makes about 3 minutes per move (assuming a game is averaging about 40 moves). If one feels that the game is going to be rather prolonged, he can play a bit faster. Early moves generally require little thought and some moves are more or less automatic. Contrarily, complicated situations will involve more thinking and thus additional time. In practical chess it is always beneficial to have more time available than the opponent has. Most of all it is vital to pay attention to the chess game clock and stick with the chess clock rules.