Why does my opponent get extra time in the game? What is lag?

Why does my opponent get extra time in the game? What is lag?

This is called lag compensation. Lag is a term indicating the tendency for delay of a particular Internet connection.

More lag means a longer time is required for a player's moves to be communicated to the game server, which can make it seem as though the player is moving somewhat more slowly.  

The difference is not usually very important for standard chess games but can have a big effect on blitz and bullet games. Because of this, the game timer takes relative amounts of lag into consideration when determining how much time a player actually took to move.


    • Related Articles

    • What if I have lost the game due to a technical issue?

            The system automatically considers that the player has left the game due to a bad internet connection or if the player was switching between the windows. If you are sure that none of these cases has something to do with your game, this might be ...
    • I have lost a game to a disconnection

      Such errors are common for those players who switch from one window to another during the game or have a bad internet connection. Please make sure your internet connection is stable before the game starts and do not leave the page during the game.
    • Why I don't see myself on FIDE or my info is incorrect?

      To find your profile at fide.com, please go to the website and type your FIDE ID in the search box in the right upper corner. To find your FIDE ID number please click on your profile picture at https://chessarena.com/, then on "Info & Bio".  If you ...