about yahoo chess game...evidently i don't understand time restrictions on games...can someone give me a clue

Answer 1

When you get to the games page for Chess, there is a place to click that will explain the rules, history and variations of the game rules. These are very helpful and informative. I have used them to learn all kinds of new games.

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Answer 2

Ok. most games are listed as 10min initial time/ 15s increment or 10/15 for short. This means the game is technically 10mins long with a 15 second increment. An increment, for example 15 sec, means if you take 5 seconds to make a move you get the remaining time in the increment, 10 sec, added to your overall time. If you dont make a move within 15 seconds the overall timer continues as usual.
Some games are listed 10/0 or 10/NaN. This means the timer has no increments and each person has 10 mins to play.
If you are a beginner, look out for the timing for the game before sitting at a table. Its usually at the bottom of the board. And stay away from the shorter/quicker games for now.
I hope this helps