Armageddon

An Armageddon game changes the competitive consequence of a draw. One side, usually Black, receives draw odds: if the game itself is drawn, that side wins the match or contest. The other side must win the game on the board to prevail.

The regulations may compensate for those draw odds by giving White more time or using another mechanism for choosing or bidding for colours. There is no single universal time control for every Armageddon. In one event of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), for example, White had five minutes and Black four, with a draw giving Black the match; other competitions can set different parameters.

Armageddon can be used as a final stage of a play-off or tiebreak when the event must produce one winner. Its defining feature is not a particular number of minutes but the draw advantage assigned to one side.