What 3+2 means
In a 3+2 game, each player starts with 3 minutes, and 2 seconds are added to your clock after each move you make. The increment changes everything compared with 3+0: as long as you move faster than 2 seconds, your time goes up. It is enough to finish a won endgame without losing on time, but not enough to think long in the middlegame.
3+2 is the time control of the FIDE World Blitz Championship, used since 2009. Under the FIDE Laws of Chess, it counts as blitz: 3 minutes plus 60 times 2 seconds makes 5 minutes, under the 10-minute limit.
How long does a 3+2 game last?
| Moves per player | Time added | Total time per player | Whole game, at most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1:00 | 4:00 | about 8 minutes |
| 40 | 1:20 | 4:20 | about 9 minutes |
| 60 | 2:00 | 5:00 | about 10 minutes |
Tips for 3+2
- Play your opening fast. Moves you know by heart should take a second or two: the increment pays them back.
- Spend your thinking time on the critical moments of the middlegame, not on obvious recaptures.
- Count on the increment in the endgame. With 10 seconds left, you can still play many moves if each one takes under 2 seconds.
- Simplify when you are ahead and short of time: fewer pieces, fewer traps.
- Press the clock with the same hand you used to move the piece, as the FIDE rules require.
- Watch your opponent’s clock too: when they drop under 20 seconds, a solid position that asks them to find moves is often worth more than a risky attack.
3+2 compared with other blitz controls
| Time control | Time per player for 40 moves | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 3+0 | 3:00 | A race: the clock decides many games |
| 3+2 | 4:20 | Fast, but the increment saves endgames |
| 5+0 | 5:00 | More time early, none added later |
Prefer no increment? The 5+0 chess clock is the classic sudden-death blitz.