How to manage your time in chess

Losing a winning position because your clock hit zero is one of the most painful ways to lose. The good news: a few simple habits keep you out of time trouble without playing fast.

Play the opening quickly

The first several moves should be near-instant: develop your pieces, control the centre, castle. If you're burning two minutes on move four, you've learned the wrong thing. Save your clock for when the position gets sharp.

Spend time on critical moments

Slow down when there are captures, checks, or a real decision (a pawn break, a sacrifice, a forcing line). These moments decide the game, so they deserve your clock. Quiet positions where you're just improving a piece do not.

Don't agonize over equal options

If two moves both look fine, pick one and move. Beginners lose more games to the clock from over-thinking small decisions than from playing a slightly worse move. Decide and go.

Use the increment

Many online games add a few seconds per move (the increment, an idea from Bobby Fischer). In time trouble, play moves you're sure of to bank that increment back, and never let your clock run while you stare. A move made is time saved.

Watch your opponent's clock too

If they're low on time and you're not, keep the position complicated so they have to keep solving problems. If you're the one short on time, simplify - trade pieces to make the position easier to play quickly.