In short: When a player has very little time left on the clock but still many moves to make.
Also called time pressure.
Time trouble isn't a rule but a situation. The clock shows a few minutes, maybe only seconds, and there are still moves to make before the time runs out. As early as 1916, the Swedish encyclopedia Nordisk familjebok wrote that a player in time trouble is often forced to make poorly considered moves. That is still true.
Even the best
In the 1960 world championship match, Mikhail Tal sacrificed a knight against the champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. The sacrifice wasn't quite sound, but Botvinnik was already in time trouble, didn't find the defense and made the decisive mistake. See the game: Botvinnik–Tal 1960.
When Pia Cramling played Viktor Korchnoi in 1982, both ended up in time trouble. There she took a knight that Korchnoi offered, and then she couldn't escape a perpetual check. A simple queen move would have won. The game was drawn: Cramling–Korchnoi 1982.
What the rules say
If you have less than five minutes left, and get less than 30 seconds added per move, you no longer have to write the moves on your scoresheet for the rest of the period. If your time runs out you have usually lost, but not always. Read what happens when the flag falls.
How to avoid time trouble
- Play the opening at a steady pace. Don't spend half an hour on moves you could have made in a minute.
- Make the obvious moves quickly. A recapture that is the only move doesn't need a long think.
- Make up your mind. Once you have calculated and chosen, play the move. Going over the same line once more rarely tells you anything new.
- Play with an increment. With a few seconds added per move you are never completely out of time. See time control.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to keep score in time trouble?
Not always. If you have less than five minutes left and get less than 30 seconds added per move, you don't have to write down the moves for the rest of the period.
How do you avoid time trouble?
Don't spend too long on the opening or on obvious moves. Save your time for the positions where it really matters, and make up your mind once you have finished calculating.
Updated November 14, 2026