diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go b/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
index 633dd98..7c9b952 100644
--- a/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/strategy.go
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ const (
 	// delays near the band's floor — an active player). The result is clamped to
 	// [delayHardMinMinutes, delayHardMaxMinutes]. The numbers are deliberate estimates,
 	// to be retuned once real play statistics arrive (docs/ARCHITECTURE.md §7).
-	delayEarlyLoMinutes = 1.0
-	delayEarlyHiMinutes = 5.0
+	delayEarlyLoMinutes = 3.0
+	delayEarlyHiMinutes = 10.0
 	delayLateLoMinutes  = 10.0
 	delayLateHiMinutes  = 90.0
 	delaySkew           = 4.0
diff --git a/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go b/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
index e230ea6..b728d00 100644
--- a/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/robot/strategy_test.go
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ func TestMoveDelayGrowsWithMoveCount(t *testing.T) {
 		return xs[n/2]
 	}
 	for s := int64(1); s <= 500; s++ {
-		if d := moveDelay(s, 0).Minutes(); d < 1 || d > 5 {
-			t.Fatalf("first-move delay %.2f out of [1,5] for seed %d", d, s)
+		if d := moveDelay(s, 0).Minutes(); d < 3 || d > 10 {
+			t.Fatalf("first-move delay %.2f out of [3,10] for seed %d", d, s)
 		}
 		if d := moveDelay(s, 40).Minutes(); d < 10 || d > 90 {
 			t.Fatalf("late-move delay %.2f out of [10,90] for seed %d", d, s)
diff --git a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
index 46637ca..47aa02d 100644
--- a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ English game the Latin pool.
   refill it, else passes.
 - **Timing**: the per-move delay is **move-number-aware** — a right-skewed sample
   (exponent k=4, short delays frequent) from a band that interpolates from
-  **[1, 5] min** at the first move to **[10, 90] min** by ~28 moves, so openings are
+  **[3, 10] min** at the first move to **[10, 90] min** by ~28 moves, so openings are
   quick and the endgame can run long, clamped to **[1, 90] minutes**; it
   **sleeps 00:00–07:00** anchored to the **opponent's** profile timezone with a
   per-game drift of **±3 h** (fallback UTC), so its night overlaps the human's