Bullet chess timer (1 minute)

One and two minute games, where a quarter of a second is the whole margin. Tenths are shown from the start, the tap registers on touch-down rather than release, and the timing comes from real timestamps so a dropped frame cannot cost you the game.

Nothing leaves this tab. The clock is JavaScript running on your own device. No account, no upload, no ads, no time limit — and once the page has loaded it keeps working with the Wi-Fi off.

What this clock does

Tenths from the first second

At one minute a side there is no point rounding to whole seconds. The display shows tenths the whole way down.

Touch-down, not touch-up

The press fires on pointerdown. A browser that waits to see whether your tap becomes a double-tap can cost eighty milliseconds, and in bullet that is a real amount of time.

Timestamps, not ticks

Elapsed time is measured against the browser's own monotonic clock rather than accumulated from frame counts, so a stutter cannot silently steal time from the side on move.

What counts as bullet

Anything at roughly two minutes a side or less. The common controls are 1|0, 1|1 and 2|1, and the whole game usually lasts under four minutes. Bullet is not a FIDE category — it exists online and in casual play, and there is no official definition to appeal to.

ControlLongest possible gameNotes
1|02 minutesThe purist's bullet. Flagging is a legitimate strategy.
1|1About 3.3 minutes over 40 moves eachEnough to make a legal move without losing on the press.
2|1About 5.3 minutes over 40 moves eachThe friendliest bullet control; endgames are almost playable.

Why timing accuracy matters here and nowhere else

In a fifteen-minute game, a tenth of a second lost to a slow frame is invisible. In a one-minute game played at two moves a second, the same error repeated across sixty presses is a meaningful fraction of your clock.

Two things guard against that. First, the clock never counts frames — it asks the browser what time it actually is and subtracts. Second, the press fires the instant your finger contacts the screen. Together they mean the number on screen is the number you have.

Over the board, bullet is a different game

Online bullet involves no physical clock at all. Over the board it is genuinely awkward: you have to move a piece with your hand and press with the same hand, sixty times, in a minute. Most clubs do not run rated bullet for exactly that reason.

If you are playing bullet at a real board for fun, give yourself the increment. 1|1 or 2|1 keeps the game about chess rather than about hand speed.

FAQ

Questions about this clock

What is a bullet chess time control?

Around one to two minutes per player, usually 1|0, 1|1 or 2|1. Bullet is an online category rather than a FIDE one, so there is no official threshold — but anything under three minutes is generally called bullet rather than blitz.

Is a browser accurate enough for a one-minute clock?

For a clock that stays visible, yes. This one measures elapsed time from the browser's monotonic clock rather than counting frames, so rendering hiccups do not accumulate. The one thing to avoid is switching tabs — browsers throttle background timers, which is why the clock pauses if you leave.

Why does the display show tenths the whole time?

Because at one minute a side, whole seconds are too coarse to be useful. Knowing you have 4.3 seconds rather than 'about 4' changes whether you take a move or bang it out.

A clock with no browser in the way

The app launches straight into the clock, with 1 min, 1|1 and 2|1 already in the preset list. Free on iPhone, iPad and Android.