perceived unfairness of Armageddon time controls that are decided in advance before a tournament with colours randomly allocated. Such an idea is reminiscent of the logical use case of fair cake-cutting. Other terms Lightning An alternative term for blitz chess, or for an extremely fast form of chess. It can also refer to games with a fixed amount of time (e.g. ten seconds) for each move, or to one-minute games. History and rules Before the advent of digital clocks, five minutes per side was the standard for blitz or speed chess. Before the introduction of chess clocks, chess club "rapid transit" tournaments had referees who called out every ten seconds. The Washington Divan (2445 15th St. NW) had regular weekly games and used a special clock that beeped every ten seconds to indicate the time to move. Players had to use their full ten seconds and move on the bell. In 1988, Walter Browne formed the World Blitz Chess Association and its magazine Blitz Chess, which folded in 2003. In some chess tournaments and matches, the final standings of the contestants are decided by a series of games with ever-shortening control times as tie breaks. In this case, two games may be played with each time control, as playing with black or white pieces is not equally liked among players. The short time controls in fast chess reduce the amount of time available to consider each move, and may result in a frantic game, especially as time runs out. A player whose time runs out automatically loses, unless the opposing player has insufficient material to checkmate, in which case the game is a draw. "Losing on time" is possible at even the longer, traditional time controls, but is more common in blitz and rapid versions. Play is governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess, except as modified by a specific tournament. However, in case of a dispute during a tournament, either player may stop the clock and call the arbiter to make a final and binding judgment. Chess boxing uses a fast version for the chess component of the sport, granting 9 minutes for each side with no increment. USCF rules for Quick and Blitz chess The rules for fast chess differ between FIDE and the USCF. With the USCF, a game with more than 10 minutes affects the Quick rating, and the upper bounds for this rating is capped