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Introduction

The ability to play against the clock is one of the hallmarks of a professional chess player and is one of the skills that every aspiring chess player must master. Utilising timers or chess clocks in chess games will enable chess players to improve their time management skills and the time it takes to make good decisions which is helpful when playing in tournaments and fast paced chess games such as blitz, bullet and rapid. In this article I’ve highlighted 13 of the best chess clocks that can be used for amateur and professional chess games that are both high quality and affordable. The prices of the chess clocks mentioned in this article range from 30 dollars to just over 300 dollars. Playing with chess clocks is great for your development as a chess player whether you’re a beginner in chess with aspirations of becoming a Grandmaster or an advanced chess player seeking for ways to maintain and further develop your skills.

1. DGT 1001 Digital Chess Clock

The DGT 1001 digital chess clock is the perfect digital chess clock for students and amateur chess players in search of a basic chess clock without the complicated functions of other sophisticated chess clock models such as the ability to delay time and utilise time increments which is a function that’s primarily used in professional chess tournaments. The DGT 1001 digital chess clock is simple to use with an incredibly clear display screen and has four main functions which includes:

• turning on and turning off the clock,
• starting and pausing the timer
• adding and subtracting the allocated time

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT 1001 digital chess clock ranges from as low as one second and 9 hours and 30 minutes which makes it perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The DGT 1001 digital chess clock is ideal for schools, chess clubs and chess coaches undertaking one to one teaching sessions that’s in search of a high quality, cost effective chess clock and is available in black and white and green and white. The DGT 1001 digital chess clock has a width of 6.6 inches, a length of 2.7 inches, a height of 2.1 inches and weighs approximately 105 grams.

2. DGT 1002 Digital Chess Clock – Black

The DGT 1002 digital chess clock is an excellent digital chess clock for students and amateur chess players in search of a high quality and affordable chess clock. The DGT 1002 digital chess clock has less features than many of the more sophisticated models of chess clocks such as the inability to delay time and the inability to utilise time increments but more than the predecessor of the DGT 1002, the DGT 1001 digital chess clock, which includes the ability to add bonus time to chess games. The DGT 1002 digital chess clock is easy to use, has a clear display screen and has four main functions which includes:

• turning on and off the clock,
• starting and pausing the timer,
• adding and subtracting the allocated time
• as well as adding bonus time to chess games.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT 1002 digital chess clock ranges from as low as one second to 9 hours and 30 minutes which makes the DGT 1002 digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The DGT 1002 digital chess clock is ideal for amateur and intermediate chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing one to one teaching sessions that’s in search of a high quality, affordable chess clock. The DGT 1002 digital chess clock is available in black and has a length of 2.8 inches, a width of 6.5 inches, a height of 2.1 inches and weighs approximately 105 grams.

3. DGT Easy Plus Timer Digital Chess Clock

The DGT easy plus timer digital chess clock is an excellent digital chess clock that’s perfect for beginner, intermediate and advanced chess players. The DGT easy plus timer digital clock is an updated version of the well-known and bestselling easy game timer from DGT (digital game technology) that has all the features a professional chess player will desire in a chess clock. The DGT easy plus timer digital chess clock has several features which includes:

• a large and clear display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the clock,
• starting and stopping the timer,
• adding and subtracting time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add bonus time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to save the time results of previous games
• and a buzzer to alert players that the game has started or finished.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT easy plus timer chess clock ranges from one minute to 9 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT easy plus timer digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game which includes blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The DGT easy plus timer digital chess clock is perfect for both amateur and advanced chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches undertaking one to one teaching sessions that’s in need of a high quality, affordable chess clock that has all the features that’s needed for a championship level chess game. The DGT easy plus timer digital chess clock is available in grey and has a length of 5.3 inches, a width of 5.7 inches, a height of 2.8 inches and weighs approximately 400 grams.

4. DGT Easy Timer Digital Chess Clock – Black Beyond

The DGT easy timer digital chess clock is the ideal digital chess clock for beginners and casual chess players. The DGT easy timer digital chess clock has many of the basic features that’s needed to play a timed chess game however it lacks some of the more sophisticated features that’s needed for it to be used in professional chess games such as the ability to delay time and add time in increments. Some of the main features of the DGT easy timer digital chess clock includes:

• the ability to turn on and off the timer,
• the ability to add and subtract time
• and a sound buzzer that can be used to alarm chess players that the chess game has begun or ended.

The DGT easy timer digital chess clock has a large and clear display screen, large buttons for ease of use during chess games and an overall stylish design. The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT easy timer digital chess clock ranges from 1 second to 9 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT easy timer digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The DGT easy timer digital chess clock is best suited for casual chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches undertaking chess classes that’s in search of a high quality and affordable chess clock with basic functions. The DGT easy timer digital chess clock is available in the black beyond style and has a length of 5.3 inches, a width of 5.7 inches, a height of 2.8 inches and weighs approximately 400 grams.

5. ZMart Fun II Digital Chess Clock

The ZMart fun II digital chess clock is great for chess players of all levels which has both basic and advanced features. The ZMart fun II digital chess clock is suitable for casual and professional games as it has all the features that’s needed for use in professional chess tournaments. The main features of the ZMart fun II digital chess clock includes:

• the ability to turn on and off the clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to count each players total moves during the game,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• simple blitz and single time controls,
• programmable two and three time control tournament modes
• and various extra timing modes for other popular chess variants and games such as Scrabble, Shogi and Go.

The ZMart fun II digital chess clock has a large and clear display screen with bright LED lights and stainless steel touch sensors and is available in various colours which includes, solid green, solid red, solid blue, solid pink, black and red, black and blue, black and green, clear green, clear red and clear blue as well as the option to purchase an additional wedge clock bag. The time duration of chess games that can be played using the ZMart fun II digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 90 minutes which makes the ZMart fun II digital chess clock for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The ZMart fun II digital chess clock is perfect for both amateur and advanced chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality and affordable tournament grade chess clock. The ZMart fun II digital chess clock has a length of 3.5 inches, a width of 7 inches, a height of 2.5 inches and weighs approximately 272 grams.

6. Tap N Set Digital Chess Clock – Available in Push Button or Touch Sensor

The Tap N set digital chess clock is excellent for chess players of all levels and has both basic and advanced features. The Tap N set digital chess clock is suitable for casual and professional level chess games and chess games can be programmed from the users smartphone utilising near field communication and the Tap N Set smartphone app. The main features of the Tap N set digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen with two different models which consist of large plastic buttons or touch screen pads,
• the ability to turn on and off the clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time manually or via the Tap N Set app,
• the ability to choose from a variety of pre-installed time controls,
• the ability to play one, two and three time control chess games,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to count each players total moves during games,
• the ability to freeze the game which is necessary for FIDE rated tournaments
• and the ability to create your own custom time preset.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the Tap N set digital chess clock ranges from 1 second to 9 hours and 59 minutes which makes the Tap N set digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid and classical. The Tap N set digital chess clock is perfect for beginner, intermediate and advanced chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaching providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, FIDE grade chess clock. The Tap N set digital chess clock is  available in several colours which includes, the button model in red and black, blue and blue, red and red and red and grey and the touch models in red and red, blue and blue and red and black as well as the option to purchase an additional chess clock bag. The Tap N set digital chess clock has a length of 4.12 inches, a width of 7.25 inches, a height of 2.25 inches and weighs approximately 350 grams.

7. DGT North American Digital Chess Clock

The DGT North American digital chess clock is an extraordinary digital chess clock that’s great for both casual and professional chess players and has basic and advanced features that’s needed for high level chess games. The DGT North American digital chess clock is very easy to navigate and is manufactured by DGT projects (digital game technology) which is one of the leading chess clock companies in the world. The main features of the DGT North American digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the timer,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• 10 pre-installed time controls,
• a quick set function that allows users to quickly set up some of the most common time controls,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to set up custom time controls for unique chess games,
• the ability to add bonus time,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during games,
• sound alerts to notify players that the game has begun or has ended,
• time controls for numerous chess variants
• and a low battery indicator.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT North American digital chess clock ranges from one minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT North American digital chess clock great for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess games. The DGT North American digital chess clock also offers additional time controls such as time, time plus guillotine, 2x plus guillotine, time plus repeating time, bonus (Fischer) options, time plus bonus, 2x time plus bonus, bonus single period and bonus tournament. The DGT North American digital chess clock is perfect for casual and professional chess players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, affordable digital chess clock. The DGT North American chess clock is available in blue and white and has a length of 4 inches, a width of 7.5 inches, a height of 2 inches and weighs approximately 210 grams.

8. DGT 2500 Digital Chess Clock

The DGT 2500 digital chess clock is an excellent digital chess clock that’s great for chess players of all levels that’s also approved and recommended by FIDE. The DGT 2500 digital chess clock is manufactured by DGT (digital game technology) and ranks highly as being among one of their best digital chess clocks. The main features of the DGT 2500 digital chess clock includes:

• a large and easy to read LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to delay time,
• 36 pre-programmed time controls,
• the ability to play with custom time controls,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during chess games,
• a magnetic chess piece detector that automatically detects when a player has made a move and automatically adjusts the timer,
• the ability to connect to external devices such as chess engines and computers,
• auto correction,
• a buzzer that can signal the start and end of the chess game,
• a low battery indicator
• and additional time controls for Armageddon matches as well as other games such as Go, Backgammon and Scrabble.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT 2500 digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT 2500 digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess games such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess games. The DGT 2500 digital chess clock is perfect for casual, professional chess games and FIDE approved chess tournaments as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, professional tournament grade, affordable digital chess clock. The DGT 2500 digital chess clock is available in red and has a length of 4.32 inches, a width of 7.8 inches, a height of 2.34 inches and weighs approximately 320 grams.

9. ZMart Pro Digital Chess Clock

The ZMart pro digital chess clock is an excellent digital chess clock that’s perfect for both the casual and professional chess player. The design and features within the ZMart pro digital chess clock is based of the ZMart fun II digital chess clock which is the predecessor to the ZMart pro digital chess clock. The ZMart pro digital chess clock has all the basic and advanced features that’s needed for use in professional level chess games and tournaments. The main features of the ZMart pro digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen,
• the use of touch sensor technology for touch sensitive buttons,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• three customisable time presets,
• simple blitz and single time controls,
• programmable 2 and 3 time control tournament modes,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during chess games,
• extra time controls for other chess variants and games such as Shogi, Go and Scrabble,
• a low battery indicator
• and a sound buzzer that can alert players that the game has started or ended.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the ZMart pro digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the ZMart pro digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical as well as marathon length chess games. The ZMart pro digital chess clock is perfect for both beginner and advanced level chess games as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality and affordable digital chess clock. The ZMart pro digital chess clock is available in blue, black and silver with the additional option to purchase a wedge clock bag in numerous colours and styles. The ZMart pro digital chess clock has a length of 3.5 inches, a width of 7.5 inches, a height of 2.5 inches and weighs approximately 450 grams.  

10. LIMITED EDITION – DGT 3000 Digital Chess Clock

The limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock is a state of the art digital chess clock that’s perfect for both amateur and professional chess players. The limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock is manufactured by DGT (digital game technology) and is one of their best and most sophisticated chess clocks and is also as its name suggests, a limited edition which further adds to it’s intrinsic value. The limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock has all of the features that’s needed for casual and professional level chess games and tournaments. The main features of the limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• 25 pre-installed time controls,
• the ability to use custom time controls,
• simple blitz timing,
• action chess mode,
• tournament mode,
• the ability to add bonus time,
• a magnetic chess piece detector that automatically senses when a chess piece has been moved and adjust the timer accordingly which removes the need to press the buttons on the chess clock,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during chess games,
• the ability to connect to external devices such as chess engines and computers for training and analysis,
• an auto correction function that adjust the clock in the event of an incorrect or missed move,
• a sound buzzer than can alert chess players that the game has started or finished
• and a low battery indicator.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess matches. The limited edition DGT 3000 digital chess clock is perfect for both casual chess games and players and professional level chess games and players as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, affordable digital chess clock. The limited edition DGT 3000 is made from plastic and is available in a wooden styled design and has a length of 4 inches, a width of 6 inches, a height of 3 inches and weighs approximately 450 grams.

11. DGT 3000 Digital Chess Clock

The DGT 3000 digital chess clock is a brilliant digital chess clock that’s ideal for beginners in chess as well as advanced chess players. The DGT 3000 digital chess clock is manufactured by DGT (digital game technology) and is one of their most advanced and sophisticated digital chess clocks that has all the features that’s required for use in professional level chess games and tournaments however it is not FIDE approved. The main features of the DGT 3000 digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to play with custom time controls,
• 25 pre-installed time controls,
• Simple blitz timing,
• action chess mode,
• tournament mode,
• the ability to add bonus time,
• a magnetic chess piece detector that automatically detects when a chess piece has been moved and adjusts the timer accordingly removing the need to press any buttons,
• the ability to connect to external devices such as chess engines and computers for training and analysis,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during chess games,
• an auto correction function that adjusts the timer in the event of incorrect or missed moves,
• a sound buzzer that alerts players of time warnings, move completion, low battery and the start and end of chess games
• and a low battery indicator.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the DGT 3000 digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT 3000 digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess matches. The DGT 3000 digital chess clock is ideal for casual and professional chess games and tournaments as well as for schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, affordable digital chess clock. The DGT 3000 digital chess clock is available in red and has a length of 4 inches, a width of 6 inches, a height of 3 inches and weighs approximately 400 grams.

12. Tap N Set Pro Digital Chess Clock

The Tap N set pro digital chess clock is an excellent digital chess clock that’s perfect for both amateur and professional chess players. The Tap N set pro digital chess clock is suitable for casual and high level chess games as it has all the features that’s needed for use in professional FIDE approved chess tournaments. The Tap N set pro digital is manufactured in the US and utilises near field communication technology which allows users to programme the clock using the Tap N Set App and their iOS or Android smartphone. The main features of the Tap N set pro digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear dual LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to add bonus time,
• the use of touch sensor technology for touch sensitive buttons,
• the ability to play one, two and three time control chess games,
• the ability to set custom time controls,
• up to 70 pre-installed time control presets,
• programmable tournament modes,
• the ability to save previously used time control settings,
• a move counter that counts the number of each players total moves during chess games,
• additional time controls for other chess variants and board games such as Shogi, Scrabble and Go,
• the ability to freeze games which is necessary for FIDE approved chess games and tournaments,
• the ability to connect to a HOS sensory board,
• a protective magnetic cover,
• sound and LED indicators
• and a low battery indicator.

The time duration of chess games that can be played using the Tap N set pro digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the Tap N set pro digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess matches. The Tap N set pro digital chess clock is ideal for amateur and professional level FIDE approved chess games and tournaments as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality and affordable digital chess clock. The Tap N set pro digital chess clock is metallic and is available in black and blue with the additional option to purchase a chess clock bag. The Tap N set pro digital chess clock has a length of 4.6 inches, a width of 7.5 inches, a height of 2.5 inches and weighs approximately 400 grams.

13. DGT Projects PI Digital Chess Clock

The DGT projects PI digital chess clock is the ideal digital chess clock that’s great for beginner, intermediate and advanced chess players. The DGT projects Pi digital chess clock has all of the features that’s required for use in both casual and professional level chess games and tournaments however it is not FIDE approved. The DGT projects PI digital chess clock is manufactured by DGT (digital game technology) and is one of their most advanced and sophisticated chess clocks that also functions as a chess computer that has all of the features of the DGT 3000 digital chess clock model. The main features of the DGT projects PI digital chess clock includes:

• a large and clear LCD display screen,
• the ability to turn on and off the chess clock,
• the ability to add and subtract time,
• the ability to delay time,
• the ability to add time in increments,
• the ability to set custom time controls,
• the ability to add bonus time via the custom time control settings,
• up to 50 pre-installed time controls,
• simple blitz timing,
• action chess mode,
• tournament mode,
• a magnetic chess piece detector that automatically detects when a chess piece has moved and adjusts the timer accordingly removing the need to press any buttons,
• the ability to connect to external devices such as chess engines and computers for training and analysis,
• a sound buzzer that can alert chess players of time warnings, move completion, low battery and the start and end of chess games,
• the ability to utilise eight built in chess engines such as Stockfish, Texel, Arasan, Rodent II, Zurichess, Floyd, Cinnamon and Claudia,
• the ability to adjust the chess engines playing strength,
• the ability to get advice on the next best move from the available chess engine,
• the ability to analyse your chess games move by move and highlight blunders, mistakes and missed opportunities,
• built in chess puzzles,
• the ability to store thousands of game and settings for future use,
• a Micro SD card adapter,
• a power adapter for UK, US and Euro plug sockets
• and a low battery indicator.

The time duration of chess games that can be played with the DGT projects PI digital chess clock ranges from 1 minute to 99 hours and 59 minutes which makes the DGT projects PI digital chess clock perfect for any time controlled chess game such as blitz, bullet, rapid, classical and marathon length chess matches. The DGT projects PI digital chess clock is ideal for the advanced chess player and is suitable for both casual and professional level chess games and tournaments as well as schools, chess clubs and chess coaches providing chess classes that’s in search of a high quality, advanced digital chess clock. The DGT Projects PI digital chess clock is available in red and has a display size of 1.38 inches by 4.27 inches and weighs approximately 320 grams.

Conclusion

In this article I’ve highlighted 13 of the best digital chess clocks that can be used by beginner, intermediate and advanced chess players which all have varying features and capabilities. Some of the chess clocks mentioned are also FIDE approved meaning they can be used in official FIDE regulated chess games and tournaments. The prices of the chess clocks begin at around 30 dollars and finish at just over 300 dollars. The features that are available in the cheaper chess clocks differ significantly from the features that are available in the more expensive chess clocks with the most expensive chess clock on the list, the DGT projects PI digital chess clock having the ability to function as both a chess clock and a chess computer. Utilising chess clocks are a great way to hone your skills as a chess player and can be extremely beneficial and even essential when preparing for professional chess games and tournaments.