# Chess Arsenal — Opening preparation on the go

> Personalized chess opening repertoire manager and training tool. (iPhone/iPad app by Brian Salomon.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-arsenal/id865479146 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Brian Salomon](https://appshunter.io/developer/442631005)
- Category: Games, Education, Board, Strategy
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 3.80/5 from 10 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 11 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2014-04-29
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-arsenal/id865479146/reviews.md

## What is Chess Arsenal?

*** Please note: no database is included!  This app is for managing your own openings so it begins with a blank slate!  Read on to know more.  ***

Organize and memorize your opening knowledge.

Chess Arsenal puts you in command of a customized opening repertoire.  Enter your favorite systems from books, update them as you like with trends in Grandmaster games, and revise your lines between rounds at your next tournament.  Then train to memorize your openings with targeted quizzes.  The right answers are based on personal preference, not popularity or the statistical decisions of computers.  Find what works for you and out-prepare your opponents!

Repertoire Features:
  * Enter opening variations and specify key moves you want to play.
  * Provide alternative moves for when you choose to vary your lines.
  * Name your openings for refined training.
  * Easily expose gaps in your repertoire.
  * Build lines for White and Black without switching contexts.
  * Record annotations (!, ??, ?!, etc.) and take notes.
  * Import/Export PGN files via iTunes or email.

Training Features:
  * Take random quizzes from your repertoire or filter for specific lines.
  * Train black, white, or both sides.
  * Repeat failed quizzes until you get them right.
  * Jump to the repertoire screen to review forgotten answers.
  * Find your best and worst results sorted by percentage correct.
  * Identify opening weaknesses for further study.

** Don’t be caught off guard at the board.  The best time to prepare is before the game! **

Fill Chess Arsenal with your favorite openings and all their side-lines.  Tell it which response you would play in a tournament.  These moves come from your own research, not the app, so you are building a truly personalized opening repertoire.  Improve your organization by naming openings.  These can be chess names (“Sicilian Defense”) or custom groups (“Bob’s Opening”); it’s up to you!

Do you have a standard response to 1. e4, but change it against a particular player?  Enter both moves into your repertoire and add a comment to explain the alternative.

Switch to training mode and your openings are played back until a key position is reached.  Do you remember the move you prepared?  Train against your entire database or focus on specific openings by using the quiz filter.

Identify openings to study by reviewing your training results.  Feeling confident with certain moves?  Tell Chess Arsenal to skip them while training and focus on more challenging lines.

* PGN Import/Export *

Chess Arsenal supports the popular Portable Game Notation (PGN) format used by most chess software.  Import PGN files via iTunes or choose “Open in Chess Arsenal” within other apps.  These can replace or be merged into your repertoire.  Export your repertoire to PGN via email attachment or iTunes (drag and drop files with Apps->File Sharing->Chess Arsenal).  Exports contain all the moves you looked at, with your repertoire moves marked in comments.

To follow the app, visit the support page!

## Key features

- Customizable opening repertoire
- Targeted quiz training
- Import/Export PGN files
- Record annotations and notes
- Identify repertoire gaps
- Build lines for White and Black

## Recent user reviews (10 of 13)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-arsenal/id865479146/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Color

*2020-12-22, version 1.7.2*

The idea of this app is great, I just wish the chess board was a darker color so my migraines won’t trigger. I would be incredibly thankful for the customizable board and background, thank you :)

### 2/5 — Lacks a lot of features

*2019-12-02, version 1.6.3*

I have a Mac.. so no chessbase unless I dualboot. Bought this because I heard it works, despite lack of updates. 

Regretting, because there is no clear way to delete a opening. No clear way to not play through the opening from the VERY BEGINNING.

I chose the option to skip training a certain move, which worked, but it is not allowing me to return to the previous configuration. I’m a software developer and can tell this is an abandoned application which had much potential.

### 5/5 — Abandoned app

*2019-05-24, version 1.6.3*

Long time without an update, but still the best app of its kind, objectively.

### 5/5 — Custom opening practice tool

*2018-02-20, version 1.6.1*

This app is one of my favorites since I have the older Chess Opening Wizard and Chess Position Trainer on the desktop. So I can import my custom openings and practice on my iPhone. Any chance to get a VR or AR version? I can’t afford to pay a programmer to create one for me for my Oculus Rift. Although I am trying. 

This is one of the best chess tools out there and the one I use the most. Thank you for this app. Love it to death!

### 5/5 — Awesome app

*2017-06-10, version 1.5*

I'm a club player rated about 1900. I use this app daily to create my opening repertoire. I store my favorite lines from various books and opening databases. It would be awesome if Stockfish was built into it.  It allows PGN files to be emailed/imported/exported as well.

### 4/5 — Great

*2017-03-03, version 1.5*

I use this app all the time. I am not aware of any better tool for practicing custom openings offline. It can handle transpositions, which is great. It also seems fairly stable, and the PGN export feature works. Bravo to the creator of this app!

My number one complaint is with the randomization process of the trainer. It has a tendency to get "stuck" repeating the same line five or six times in a row. As a matter of fact, it seems to heavily favor some lines over others, for reasons unknown.

For example, one line I am studying in the QGA has 106 different variations. Some of those variations have been drilled 50+ times, while at least 20% of them have not been drilled at all. I really have no way to fix it without outright disabling the lines I've already trained... but then there is no way to easily search for the lines I disabled.

Changing the background color would be nice as well, but is really not necessary. If the trainer issue were fixed then I would give the app 5 stars.

### 5/5 — Chess

*2015-11-09, version 1.4*

Great app! Hard to find on the store but it's perfect!

### 4/5 — Yoyo

*2015-07-26, version 1.4*

Great app! One idea is that the app should quiz you less on an opening the more you get it right, and if you are consistently getting an opening wrong it should quiz you more. Overall, Great app that helps me memorize my openings!

### 5/5 — Great work

*2015-04-12, version 1.4*

Practice your reportoire on the move!

### 2/5 — Disappointing

*2014-09-22, version 1.2*

I bought this app with the expectation I could jump in start learning and memorizing opening sequences.  It's an essentially an empty database that YOU the user must fill in with ruy Lopez, Kings indian etc, meaning find the moves elsewhere and put into the app.  Seems like the creator could have included basic openings easily but chose not to out of laziness.

## Frequently asked questions about Chess Arsenal

### Does Chess Arsenal include a chess database?

No, Chess Arsenal does not include a database. It is designed for managing your own personalized opening repertoire, starting with a blank slate for you to fill.

### How can I add my chess openings to Chess Arsenal?

You can manually enter your opening variations, specify key moves, and provide alternative responses. Chess Arsenal also supports importing PGN files via iTunes or through the 'Open in Chess Arsenal' feature in other apps.

### What kind of training does Chess Arsenal offer?

Chess Arsenal offers targeted quizzes to help you memorize your openings. You can train specific lines, repeat failed quizzes, and review your best and worst results to identify weaknesses.

### Can I use Chess Arsenal offline?

Yes, Chess Arsenal is designed to be used offline. Once you have entered or imported your opening repertoire, you can train and manage it without an internet connection.

### How does Chess Arsenal handle different responses to moves?

You can enter alternative moves for specific situations and add comments to explain these variations. This allows you to build a nuanced repertoire that accounts for different player styles or specific opponent tendencies.

### What is the price of Chess Arsenal?

Chess Arsenal is a paid application with a one-time purchase price of $1.99.

### What devices is Chess Arsenal compatible with?

Chess Arsenal is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

### How often is Chess Arsenal updated?

The latest version, 1.7.2, was released on November 15, 2020. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, this indicates it has received updates since its initial release in 2014.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.7.2 — 2020-11-15

- Fix crash when no training positions are found due to a filter or new DB.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*