Increment
An increment is a small amount of time added to a player clock after each move, so that thinking time never fully runs out as long as moves keep being made quickly.
Also called: Fischer increment
With an increment, every time you complete a move, a fixed number of seconds is added to your clock. A control written 10+5 means ten minutes to start and five seconds added after each move. The idea comes from a design by Bobby Fischer, which is why it is also called a Fischer increment.
The main benefit is fairness near the end of the game. Without it, a player could be forced to move instantly just to avoid losing on time, even in a won position. With an increment, a player who keeps a steady pace can hold their time bank level, so games are more often decided by the position than by the clock.
Practical tip: when time is low, make quick safe moves to collect the extra seconds, and save longer thinking for moments that really need it. An increment also makes the end of a game calmer, since a winning player has a chance to finish the win. Most online platforms and many serious tournaments now use increments.
Also worth reading is Delay. A delay is a pause at the start of each turn before a clock begins counting down, so a player can use that short time without losing any from the main clock.
A neighboring idea is Sudden death. Sudden death is a time control in which each player has one fixed amount of time for the whole game, with no extra time added, so a player whose clock reaches zero loses on time.
Also worth reading is Time management. Time management in chess is the skill of spending clock time where it matters most, thinking longer in critical positions and moving quickly in routine ones, so that you never face a decisive position with seconds left.
Time controls change what a player should practice, and the improvement plans by rating band show how the habits behind "Increment" differ across rating ranges.
Related terms
A delay is a pause at the start of each turn before a clock begins counting down, so a player can use that short time without losing any from the main clock.
A time control is the rule that sets how much thinking time each player gets in a game, and whether extra time is added per move, which decides what kind of chess is being played.
A time scramble is the stage of a game when one or both players are very short of time and must play many moves quickly, often leading to mistakes and sudden reversals.
Time management in chess is the skill of spending clock time where it matters most, thinking longer in critical positions and moving quickly in routine ones, so that you never face a decisive position with seconds left.
Classical chess is the slowest regular format, with long thinking time per player, usually more than an hour each, and it is the format used for most serious over the board events.
Rapid chess is a medium speed format, with each player getting roughly ten to sixty minutes, which keeps games thoughtful while allowing several rounds to be played in one day.
Guides that go further
See whether a base time and increment counts as bullet, blitz, rapid or classical.
Average chess rating and a good chess rating
What share of active Lichess players are rated above 800, 1200, 1500, 1800 or 2000, by time control.
What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.