Tempi: chess tempo plural and usage

Tempi

Definition

In chess, a tempo (plural: tempi; occasionally “tempos” in contemporary writing) is a single move or turn. To gain a tempo means to make a move that simultaneously accomplishes two or more objectives, thereby “saving” a move you would otherwise have had to spend. To lose, waste, or spend a tempo is to make a move that does not develop your position or that you later have to repeat (e.g., moving the same piece twice in the opening). Tempi are a fundamental unit for measuring time, initiative, and efficiency in play.

Etymology & Plural Forms

The word comes from the Italian tempo, meaning “time” (also used in music). Early English chess writers adopted the plural “tempi” from Italian; the alternative “tempos” is now common but still considered less formal in chess literature.

How Tempi Are Used in Chess

Tempi function as a scarce resource, similar to material or space:

Initiative: The side with more effective tempi usually has the initiative, dictating the course of the game.
Development: In the opening, each developing move that improves a piece’s scope is usually worth one tempo.
Attack & Defense: Attacks often succeed because the attacker gained tempi while the defender lost them (e.g., chasing a piece with lesser-value pieces).
Endgames: In king and pawn endings, “waiting” moves that waste a tempo can decide opposition and create zugzwang.

Strategic & Historical Significance

Classical strategists such as Steinitz and Tarrasch emphasized rapid development—the economical use of tempi—as a cornerstone of sound strategy. The Hypermodern school later showed that willingly conceding tempi could be justified if it yielded a durable positional asset (e.g., the fianchetto setups in the King’s Indian Defence).

Counting Tempi

Players and analysts often “count” tempi in several contexts:

Piece Development: Each undeveloped minor piece usually costs one tempo.
Pawn Storms: Advancing a flank pawn three squares is often viewed as “three tempi” spent on the attack.
Endgame Races: When both sides have passed pawns, calculations like “White queens in five tempi, Black in four” decide the outcome.

Illustrative Examples

Example 1: Gaining a Tempo with a Threat (Ruy Lopez)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O
Black’s 3…a6 forces White’s bishop to move again, apparently gaining a tempo for Black. However, theory shows that the time spent on …a6 and later …b5 can also be interpreted as two tempi that do not develop new pieces, illustrating that tempi must be weighed against positional goals.

Example 2: Losing a Tempo but Gaining Material (Petrov’s Defence)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4
White’s knight returns to its original square, “wasting” a tempo, yet the resulting symmetrical structure and tactical possibilities compensate for the lost time.

Example 3: Triangulation in King Endings

Position: Kings only, White Kc4, Black Ke6; pawns blocked.
White plays 1. Kd4 Kf6 2. Ke4 Ke6 3. Kd4, spending three tempi to reach the original square while it becomes Black’s move—achieving zugzwang.

Example 4: Tempi as Currency in Gambits

In the Evans Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4), White gives up a pawn to develop rapidly with c3, d4, and O-O, arguing that the tempi gained are worth more than a pawn.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

Grandmaster Salo Flohr once quipped, “I like to be a pawn up—but a tempo up is nicer; it doesn’t have to be guarded.”
In Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, 1997 (Game 1), Kasparov spent three tempi repositioning his knight (Ng1-h3-f2-d1-e3), yet still won by stifling the computer’s counterplay—a famous demonstration that tempi are important but not absolute.
FIDE’s “Armageddon” tiebreak formally trades material for tempi: Black starts with two extra minutes but must only draw, an explicit conversion rate of time for other advantages.

Quick Reference

Gain a tempo: Force your opponent to respond, advancing your own plan.
Lose a tempo: Move the same piece twice without necessity.
Waste a tempo: Deliberately make a “waiting” move (often in endgames).
Counting tempi: Critical in pawn races and development races.