---
title: "Chess time control calculator"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/tools/time-control-calculator.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/tools/time-control-calculator"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
type: "tool"
summary: "Enter a base time and increment to see the estimated game length and whether it counts as bullet, blitz, rapid or classical on Lichess and in FIDE rules."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/tools/rating-calculator.md", "https://georgelichess.com/tools/performance-rating.md"]
---

# Chess time control calculator

> **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md.

Enter a base time and increment to see the estimated game length and whether it counts as bullet, blitz, rapid or classical on Lichess and in FIDE rules.

This calculator reads a time control such as 3+2 and classifies it two ways. Lichess adds 40 times the increment to the base time and picks a category from that estimate. FIDE adds 60 times the increment to the time allotted and sorts the result into blitz, rapid or standard. The two rules weigh the increment differently.

## How the two readings are computed

Lichess estimate (seconds) = base seconds + 40 x increment seconds

FIDE effective time (seconds) = base seconds + 60 x increment seconds

The two conventions weigh the increment differently, so one control can land in different classes. A control with no increment shows it most plainly when its base time sits near a boundary of one convention but not the other.

## Lichess categories

| Category | Estimate |
| --- | --- |
| UltraBullet | Under 30 s |
| Bullet | 30 s to under 3 min |
| Blitz | 3 min to under 8 min |
| Rapid | 8 min to under 25 min |
| Classical | 25 min or more |

## FIDE classes

| Class | Rule |
| --- | --- |
| Blitz | Effective time of 10 minutes or less |
| Rapid | Effective time of more than 10 and under 60 minutes |
| Standard | Effective time of 60 minutes or more |

## Worked examples

| Control | Lichess estimate | Lichess category | FIDE effective time | FIDE class |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1+0 | 60 s | Bullet | 60 s | Blitz |
| 3+2 | 260 s | Blitz | 300 s | Blitz |
| 10+0 | 600 s | Rapid | 600 s | Blitz |
| 15+10 | 1,300 s | Rapid | 1,500 s | Rapid |
| 90+30 | 6,600 s | Classical | 7,200 s | Standard |

## Questions people ask

**Why do Lichess and FIDE give different classes for the same control?** Each one counts the increment differently. Lichess assumes a game of about forty moves, while FIDE counts sixty increments per player. A control with a long increment therefore looks longer to FIDE, and a control with none can sit on either side of a boundary depending on the convention.

**What does the Lichess estimate mean?** It is the base time in seconds plus the increment in seconds multiplied by the assumed number of moves. Lichess uses that single number to choose a category such as Bullet or Rapid. It is an estimate of game length, not a promise of how long any one game will last.

**Which time controls are allowed in FIDE rated play?** For standard play, whether a game is rated depends on the players and the event, so the tool does not decide it. For blitz and rapid it compares the effective time with the Handbook limits and tells you in plain words whether a game at that control can be rated.

**Can I enter a base time shorter than a minute?** Yes. Type a decimal such as 0.5 for thirty seconds or 0,25 for fifteen. The base time must come to a whole number of seconds, so 0.333 is refused. The increment is a whole number of seconds, from zero up to the limit shown beside the field.

## Sources

Checked against the FIDE Handbook edition dated 1 January 2023 on 2026-10-19. Lichess categories and the estimate come from the scalachess library, read on 2026-10-19. Speed.scala: https://github.com/lichess-org/scalachess/blob/master/core/src/main/scala/Speed.scala Clock.scala: https://github.com/lichess-org/scalachess/blob/master/core/src/main/scala/Clock.scala

## Related

- [Chess rating calculator: FIDE and Elo](https://georgelichess.com/tools/rating-calculator.md)
- [Chess performance rating calculator](https://georgelichess.com/tools/performance-rating.md)