Editing Time control (section)

===Chess===
==== Increment and delay methods ====
These are the timing methods most often used in chess.

In '''increment''' (also known as '''bonus''' and '''Fischer''', after [[Bobby Fischer]]'s patent on it), a specified amount of time is added to the player's main time after each move, unless the player's main time ran out before they completed their move. For example, if the time control is "G/90;inc30" (90 minutes of main time per player, with a 30-second increment each move), each player gets an additional 30 seconds added to their main time after each move, unless the player's main time ran out first. This is often notated as a "90+30" time control, with the first number indicating the minutes on the clock at the start of the game, followed by the number of seconds added to the clock per move.

Under [[FIDE]] and US Chess rules, each player gets the increment for the first move as well. For example, with "G/3;inc2", each player starts with three minutes and two seconds on the first move. Not all digital [[chess clock]]s automatically give the increment for the first move; for those that don't, the increment time has to be added manually.

==== Simple delay ====
In the '''simple delay''' (also known as the '''US delay'''), the clock waits for a fixed delay period during each move before the player's main time starts counting down. For example, if the delay is ten seconds, the clock waits for ten seconds each move before the main time starts counting down.

==== Bronstein delay ====
The '''Bronstein delay''' (named after [[David Bronstein]], its inventor), like increment, adds a fixed amount of time after each move, but no more than the amount of time spent to make the move. For example, if the delay is ten seconds and a player uses ten or more seconds for a move, ten seconds are added after they complete their move. If the player uses five seconds, only those five seconds are returned to the clock. This ensures that the main time left on the clock can never increase even if a player makes fast moves. As with increment, under FIDE and US Chess rules, the delay time is applied to the first move.

Bronstein delay and Simple delay are very similar, but not equal. In Bronstein delay the amount of time is added ''after'' the move has been made; this distinction may be crucial when a player is running out of time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Simple Delay Setting Replaces Bronstein in US Clock Rules |url=http://www.chicagopoint.com/clock2013.html |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=www.chicagopoint.com |quote=For the most part, both methods are substantially the same in terms of the amount of time players get and consume. At the end of the move, after the clock is hit, the remaining reserve time will be identical with Bronstein and Simple Delay. The difference is in the time available to complete the current move and becomes apparent when the reserve time runs down close to zero. Because Bronstein does not award the per-move allotment until after the move has been completed, you can run out of time and lose the match before getting the per-move allotment for the current move.}}</ref> The advantage of the Bronstein delay is that the player can easily see how much time is remaining without mentally adding the delay to the main clock. The advantage of the simple delay is that the player can always tell whether the delay time or the main time is counting down. The simple delay is the form of delay most often used in the United States, while the Bronstein delay is more often used in most other countries.