The last game clock you'll ever download. A dedicated clock for chess, go, shogi and board games — every time control that exists, giant digits you can read across the table, 2–6 players, 100% offline. No ads. No account. No internet.
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Chess Clock: Board & Go Timer is a free iPhone and Android app that replaces a physical game clock for chess, go, shogi and tabletop games. It supports every real time control — Fischer increment, Bronstein delay, simple delay, Japanese byo-yomi, Canadian byo-yomi, hourglass, sudden death, and multi-stage controls like "40 moves in 90 minutes, then 30 minutes." You tap anywhere on your half of the screen to pass the move, digits scale to fill the whole display so they're readable across a table, and it handles 2 to 6 players with optional per-player handicaps. It is completely free, has no ads, no account, no tracking, and requires no internet. Best for chess players, go and shogi players, and board-game nights who want a dedicated, distraction-free clock. Made by lapnito.cz s.r.o.
Chess Clock: Board & Go Timer is a free, ad-free game clock app for iPhone that turns your phone into a proper tournament-style clock for chess, go, shogi, and board games. Unlike the app on your board that stopped getting updates years ago, this clock includes every time control that actually exists — from blitz Fischer increment to Japanese and Canadian byo-yomi — with full-screen digits you can read from across the table.
The design goal is simple: the clock should disappear. Your whole side of the screen is the button, so you never hunt for a tiny target while your flag is falling. There are no ads to interrupt a game, no account to create, and no internet permission at all — it works on a plane, in a park, or in a tournament hall with no signal. It's a clock. It should just work.
Keywords: chess clock, board game timer, go clock, shogi clock, byo-yomi timer, Fischer increment clock, Bronstein delay, blitz timer, bullet chess clock, turn timer, OTB tournament clock, delay clock, multiplayer game clock.
- Fischer increment — time added after every move
- Bronstein delay — get back what you used, up to the increment
- Simple delay — the clock only counts down after the delay expires
- Japanese byo-yomi — periods that reset each move, with a spoken last-five-seconds countdown
- Canadian byo-yomi — a block of time for a set number of stones
- Hourglass — your time flows to your opponent
- Multi-stage controls — "40 moves in 90 minutes, then 30 minutes"
- Sudden death and any combination of the above
- Japanese and Canadian byo-yomi done right, with period counts and stone counts
- Audible countdown for the last five seconds of a period
- Most clocks skip byo-yomi entirely — this one started there
- Rotate in order, reverse direction mid-game
- Eliminate players who flag and keep playing
- Perfect for board-game night, not just one-on-one duels
- Give each player a different time control
- Ideal for coaching, teaching kids, and uneven matchups
- Full-screen digits that scale to your device — never a fixed tiny font
- A seven-segment Retro LCD theme, a modern condensed theme, and OLED-black themes that won't light up the room
- Two distinct tap tones so you know who's on the move without looking
- Low-time warning, byo-yomi ticks, and a falling-flag buzzer
- Turn all of it off for a silent tournament hall
- Move counts, time per move, and an exportable game history
- Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, high-contrast themes, and haptic feedback throughout
| The moment | What you need | How Chess Clock handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Blitz game at the club, no physical clock | Fischer increment, instant tap | Tap anywhere on your side; 3+2 or 5+0 in two taps |
| Teaching your kid chess | A handicap so the match is fair | Per-player time controls — give yourself less time |
| A serious go game | Byo-yomi with spoken countdown | Japanese byo-yomi with period + stone counts and audio |
| Shogi with a friend | Byo-yomi that most apps don't have | Full shogi-style byo-yomi support |
| Board-game night, 5 players | A turn timer for more than two | 2–6 players, rotate or reverse, eliminate on flag |
| Tournament hall, silence required | A clock with no sound | Toggle all audio off; OLED-black theme |
| On a flight with no signal | A clock that needs no internet | 100% offline, no account, no network permission |
Q: How do I start a game? A: Pick a time control (or a saved preset), choose how many players, and tap Start. The player to move taps their half of the screen to pass the turn to the next player.
Q: What is byo-yomi and why does it matter? A: Byo-yomi is the overtime system used in go and shogi: after your main time runs out, you get a set number of short "periods" that reset every move. Japanese byo-yomi resets each move; Canadian byo-yomi gives you a block of time for a fixed number of stones. Most chess-clock apps skip it — this app was built around it, with audible last-five-second countdowns.
Q: Does the screen stay on during a game? A: Yes. The display is kept awake while a clock is running, so it never sleeps mid-game.
Q: Can I read it from across the table? A: Yes — the digits use a fit-to-screen layout, so they scale to the largest size your device allows rather than a fixed font.
| Chess Clock: Board & Go Timer | Typical chess-clock app | Basic timer app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fischer + Bronstein + simple delay | ✅ | Sometimes | ❌ |
| Japanese and Canadian byo-yomi | ✅ | Rarely | ❌ |
| Hourglass mode | ✅ | Rarely | ❌ |
| Multi-stage controls (e.g. 40/90 + 30) | ✅ | Rarely | ❌ |
| 2–6 players | ✅ | Usually 2 | ❌ |
| Per-player handicap | ✅ | Rarely | ❌ |
| Tap anywhere on your side | ✅ | Small button | ❌ |
| OLED-black + LCD themes | ✅ | Sometimes | ❌ |
| No ads / no account / offline | ✅ | Often has ads | Varies |
| Price | Free | Free/Paid | Varies |
| Platform | Minimum | Link |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | iOS 14+ | App Store |
| Android | Android 8+ | Google Play |
Support: https://lapnito.cz/chess-clock/support
- Is it really free? Yes — free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
- Does it collect my data? No. There's no account, no tracking, and no internet permission.
- Does it work offline? Completely — on a plane, in a park, or in a tournament hall with no signal.
- Which time controls are supported? Fischer, Bronstein, simple delay, Japanese byo-yomi, Canadian byo-yomi, hourglass, sudden death, and multi-stage controls.
- Can I use it for go and shogi? Yes — byo-yomi is a first-class feature with period counts, stone counts, and an audible countdown.
- How many players? 2 to 6, with rotation, direction reversal, and elimination on flag.
- Can players have different times? Yes — per-player handicaps for coaching and uneven matchups.
- Can I read it from across the table? Yes — digits scale to fill the whole screen.
- Can I silence it? Yes — turn off all sound and haptics for a silent hall.
- Can I see stats? Yes — move counts, time per move, and exportable game history.
- Framework: Flutter (iOS, Android)
- Time engine: monotonic time source (never wall-clock), so pausing, backgrounding, and multi-stage transitions stay accurate
- Display: fit-to-screen seven-segment (DSEG) and condensed themes, OLED-black variants
- Min version: iOS 14+, Android 8+
- Privacy: no analytics, no account, no network permission
- Languages (20): EN, ES, PT-BR, DE, FR, IT, NL, PL, CS, UK, RU, TR, AR, HI, ZH-CN, JA, KO, ID, VI, TH
lapnito.cz s.r.o. (Lapnito Development Studio) — privacy-first, ad-free utility and game apps.
- Support: https://lapnito.cz/chess-clock/support
- Email: tom@lapnito.cz
- More apps: App Store developer page · Google Play developer page
Made with ❤️ in Czech Republic by lapnito.cz s.r.o.