How do timers work:

During the invitation process the player chooses the time settings. It consists of two parameters:

• The initial time each player has in minutes
• Amount of seconds added after each move.

The time set is per game. Not the entire match. Time remaining at the end of a game does not get carried over to the next one.

The timer will start after the first player moves. This allows the players to greet each other without losing time. Subsequently, the timer of a player will start as soon as it's his turn.

The increment of time is added once the move is completed. It is not added after the cube decision.

If a player runs out of time, the following happens:

• He is penalized 1 point
• His timer is set back to half the initial time (or the amount of seconds added, in the event the initial time was set to 0)
• If because of the penalty point, the opponent is one point away from winning the match, the cube is frozen and cannot be used by either player. The next game, if needed, will be a Crawford game and thus the cube cannot be used.
• The game continues in the position, only the score changes.

Notes:

• Confirmation: If confirmation is on (you need to click on the dice to send your move) or if you have a long cancellation delay and if you run out of time, the move is sent automatically and you do NOT lose on time (your time is zero plus any time added).
• Lag: The system takes the lag into account on each client, as a result if your opponent has a lot of lag, you might see his time go under 0, but because the opponent has received the move a few seconds after you sent it his timer starts only when he actually received the move. So in summary, because of the lag, your opponent timer can be a bit off, but yours is always showing the right amount.
• Resignation: in time limited game you cannot decline a resignation for the maximum amount of point the player can lose.

Advantages of this system:

• The timer is reset after each game ensuring the players will have always a reasonable amount of time for playing.
• Time is added after each move so players can still enter long games such as a backgame.

Example: Let’s consider a 3 point match, the timer settings are 2min + 5sec per move.

• Game 1: Each player starts with 2 minutes, after each completed move 5 seconds is added to the clock. Player 1 wins quickly, both players have more than one minute left on the clock
• Game 2: The time of each player is reset to 2 minutes. Let’s assume player 2 runs out of time, he loses one point making the score 2-0. The cube is now frozen. The game continues and player 2 wins the game
• Game 3: The score is 2-1 Crawford, neither player can double.