Timers exist for 2-player games, such as chess. The idea is that each player gets a set amount of time to play the entire game. During his turn, his timer is running. At the end of his turn, he hits the clock, which stops his clock and starts his opponent's clock. The timing is very different from most timers used for multi-player games. For these games, what is often used is a "turn timer". This means the player has a certain amount of time, such as a minute, to complete that turn.