Default time

Default time is the arrival deadline set for a competition. The event regulations must announce it in advance. Under the Laws of Chess of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), if no deadline is specified, it is zero: a player who arrives after the official starting time normally loses, unless the arbiter decides otherwise.

How it is applied

If a round starts at 10:00 and the regulations allow fifteen minutes, a player arriving at 10:14 can still play, but that player's time has already been running. Arrival at 10:16 is beyond the deadline and normally causes a forfeit loss. The arbiter checks the time and declares the result.

White's clock is started at the scheduled time. If the default time is not zero and neither player is present, the FIDE rule initially charges White with the elapsed time until White arrives, unless the event rules or arbiter provide otherwise. Default time is not the total thinking time or the game duration shown by the chess clock.