In short: Chess with more than 10 but less than 60 minutes per player. With an increment, what counts is the time plus 60 times the increment per move.
Also called rapid chess.
Under FIDE's rules a game is rapid when each player has more than 10 but less than 60 minutes for all their moves. With an increment you count the time plus 60 times the increment: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move makes 25 minutes, so it is rapid. Until July 1, 2014, the lower limit was fifteen minutes.
The rules in rapid
- No scoresheet. The players don't have to write down the moves, but they may ask the arbiter for a scoresheet.
- Smaller penalties. Where a classical game gives the opponent two extra minutes, rapid gives one.
- Claim at once. If no arbiter is watching your game, your opponent must point out an illegal move before their own next move. Otherwise the move stands.
Playing by feel
In rapid there is time to think, but rarely to work out a long sequence of moves to the end. So you play more by feel and experience. That favors the player who recognizes the positions and knows where the pieces belong.
When a world championship is decided in rapid
If a world championship match is level after the classical games, it can be decided in rapid. That happened in 2016, when Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin stood 6–6 after twelve games.
See the whole game: Carlsen–Karjakin, 2016 world championship. How time controls work is explained under time control.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you have in rapid?
More than 10 but less than 60 minutes per player. With an increment you count the time plus 60 times the increment. 15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move makes 15 + 10 = 25 minutes.
Do you have to keep score in rapid?
No. The players don't have to write down the moves, but they may ask the arbiter for a scoresheet at any time.
Updated November 14, 2026