When selecting a chess clock for casual play, it’s essential to consider your preferences and plan thoughtfully.
On one hand, you can purchase the standard tournament-designed chess clock. You can also choose more conservative options and go for more practical chess clocks.
With the interests and needs of casual chess players in mind, we prioritize features and usability and ensure that the selected chess clocks align with the average player.
We will look at some of the best chess clocks for casual play.
DGT Easy Plus Timer Digital Clock
The DGT Easy Plus Timer Digital Clock is one of the few chess clocks owned by Magnus Carlsen, one of the greatest chess world champions.
It is affordable, lightweight, and compact. The design is simple, with a concavity on the bottom, and is curved so that it is hollow beneath.
Interestingly, the battery compartment is also at the base, with some illustrations around this area. The buttons are well arranged, with an on/off button and a couple of other navigation buttons.
On the DGT Easy Plus Timer Digital Clock, alongside the standard countdown timer, you can choose various time formats, such as bonus, increments, delay, or move timer.
Key features
- Affordability: This clock is well-priced, making it an affordable choice for most casual players.
- Portability: Its lightweight and compact design makes it easy to carry around.
- Intuitive Controls: The buttons are well-arranged and easy to use, including an on/off button and navigation buttons for setting the timer.
Downsides
- Learning Curve: It may take some time to get used to the clock, but it becomes straightforward to operate once you are familiar with it.
DGT 1002 Digital Chess Clock
The DGT 1002 Digital Chess Clock is another great chess clock I recommend for casual players. It is affordable, durable, and lightweight. This clock’s simplicity is one of its strongest suits. Despite its compact size, the display screen is large enough to make the time visible.
It has a plastic build and measures 6.5″ (W) x 2.8″ (L) x 2.1″ (H). It uses the typical AA battery.
Key features
- Affordable: The DGT 1002 is a budget-friendly option, suitable for casual players or those on a budget.
- Durable: Despite its affordability, the clock is built to last, with a sturdy plastic construction.
- Lightweight: It is easy to transport and handle, thanks to its lightweight design.
- Large Display Screen: Despite its compact size, the clock features a large display screen, ensuring the time is always visible during gameplay.
Downsides
- Small Size: The DGT 1002 Digital Chess Clock’s compact size might make it unsuitable for consistent play.
Chess Armory Digital Chess Clock
The Chess Armory Digital Chess Clock is another simple chess clock for casual players. The Chess Armory brand is well known for creating top-tier chess products, and their chess clock lives up to this reputation.
Featuring an all-plastic build, it is a compact clock with dimensions of 4″W x 2.5″H. The design looks a lot like those from the Leap brand, ensuring that it is familiar and fits in for any use case. This clock requires just a single AA battery and is designed with three physical buttons, with the off switch on the base.
Apart from chess, the Chess Armory Digital Chess Clock is versatile and can time various games, such as Go, Scrabble, and other board games, making it a multifunctional gaming accessory.
Key features
- Simple Design: The Chess Armory Digital Chess Clock boasts a straightforward design, making it easy to use for casual players.
- Renowned Brand: Produced by Chess Armory, a well-known brand in the chess community, this clock maintains the brand’s reputation for quality products.
- Compact Build: At 4″W x 2.5″H, this clock is compact and portable, suitable for various gaming environments.
Downsides
- Trim Size: Like most other casual chess clocks, the size is not ideal for consistent players.
ZmartFun ZMF-II Chess Clock
The ZmartFun ZMF-II Chess Clock is uniquely perfect. It features a plastic build with a stainless steel touch, all in a frame of 7″ (W) x 3.5″ (L) x 2.5″ (H) in dimension.
Also, it features three customizable presets that can turn sound and light off. It uses bright LED technology for the display, which is unconventional, but that is one highlight of this clock.
It is affordable and durable, yet it doesn’t cost an elephant.
Key features
- High-Quality Construction: The clock’s plastic construction with a stainless steel touch provides a durable and attractive design.
- Customizable Presets: It offers three customizable presets, allowing users to set their preferred time controls easily.
- Bright LED Display, Sound, and Light Options: The clock’s display uses bright LED technology, ensuring the time is easily visible in various lighting conditions. Users can choose to use sound and light alerts or turn them off, providing flexibility for different preferences.
LEAP PQ9907S Digital Chess Clock
The Leap Digital Chess Clock is like most standard chess clocks. What makes it unique is the professionalism and quality you get for such a budget price point. The simplicity of this chess clock means you won’t be getting the bells and whistles of the luxury clocks, but that doesn’t make it a slouch by any means. It supports count-up, count-down, bonus, and delay time controls.
There is also the possibility of having an alarm or turning it off.
The plastic material and compact build make this an affordable and durable choice for casual chess players.
Key features
- Simplicity: The clock’s straightforward design means it lacks some of the advanced features of luxury clocks, but it remains a reliable choice for chess enthusiasts.
- Versatile Time Controls: The clock supports various time controls, including count-up, count-down, bonus, and delay, providing flexibility for different game formats.
- Alarm Functionality: Users can set an alarm or turn it off, allowing for customizable game settings.
Downsides
- Small Size: The compact size is not ideal for frequent play.
Conclusion
Choosing the best chess clock for casual play requires careful consideration. While luxury clocks offer advanced features, more practical options like the DGT Easy Plus Timer Digital Chess Clock provide affordability and durability without sacrificing functionality.
Whether you prefer the simplicity of the DGT 1002 Digital Chess Clock or the renowned quality of the Chess Armory Digital Chess Clock, there’s a clock on this list to suit your needs. With these recommendations, you can confidently select a chess clock that enhances your casual playing experience.