Time Controls

What does forfeit mean in chess?

  • Clock
  • Practical
  • Time

Forfeit is a clock-management term: refers to losing the game by breaking rules, by absence or by exceeding the time control (forfeit on time). The practical skill is choosing moves that fit the clock without ignoring tactics.

What to look for on the board

  • Clock pressure.
  • Whether increment changes risk.
  • Simple moves that keep control.

Forfeit FAQ

What does forfeit mean in chess?

Forfeit is a clock-management term: refers to losing the game by breaking rules, by absence or by exceeding the time control (forfeit on time). The practical skill is choosing moves that fit the clock without ignoring tactics.

Forfeit: how do you spot it on the board?

Look for: Clock pressure.; Whether increment changes risk.; Simple moves that keep control..

Forfeit: what is the most common mistake?

Letting the clock change the quality of your candidate-move process completely.

Put your own games under review

Knowing the vocabulary is the easy part. Chessiro's free chess game review runs Stockfish 19 over your Chess.com and Lichess games, marks the moves that cost you, and explains each one in plain English. Or paste any game into the PGN analyzer, including famous games from the classic games collection.

Free game review

Find the moment each of your games turned

Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.