# Chess By Post Premium > Play correspondence chess, puzzles, and analyze games with skill-based matchmaking. (iPhone/iPad app by Games By Post LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post-premium/id510356580 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Games By Post LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/449504484) - Category: Games, Education, Board, Puzzle - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 4.70/5 from 41 App Store ratings · 63 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.1 · 35 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-03-26 - Data updated: 2026-09-03 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post-premium/id510356580/reviews.md ## What is Chess By Post Premium? *** Note there is also a free version of Chess By Post that is ad-supported. This paid version has no advertisements *** Play correspondence chess with real people! Challenge your friends to friendly games or play ranked matches against random opponents of similar skill levels. Play as many simultaneous games as your want! Automatic push notifications will let you know when you have moves waiting! Improve your ranking by playing ranked games against comparable opponents. Skill ranking updates using the classic Elo rating system to adjust your rank when you win or lose. A leader board view shows you how you compare to the top players. Chess By Post is perfect for players of all skill levels because your matched opponent's skill level will be adapted based on your own skill level. Create a local hand-off game and play your friend by passing the phone back and forth. Play against a computer opponent that adjusts difficulty to match your skill level. Improve your skills by playing a practically endless set of rated chess puzzles. Features: --------- -Tracks your skill level over time -Matches you with similar skilled opponents -Practice chess puzzles to improve your game -End game analysis shows you the critical mistakes made by each player -Head to head stats -Move History Statistics - Explore the moves of every game you ever played with an interactive board explorer -Freely move pieces to plan strategies -Take notes on games to remember strategies -In-game chat message board -In-game move histories for easy review -Ratings leader board -Local hand-off games can be played offline -Play games against a computer opponent with varied skill levels ## Key features - Correspondence chess - Rated matches - Chess puzzles - Skill-based matchmaking - Game analysis - Move history explorer - Local hand-off games ## Chart rankings - #81 in Top Paid · Board (US App Store) - #172 in Top Paid · Puzzle (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 63) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post-premium/id510356580/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Can’t log in! *2026-08-16* I’ve been involved with Chess by Post for years. When my phone updated, I was kicked out and only left to install the “Premium” edition. It is quite the departure from the other venue and I can’t (no matter how many different passwords I use) get into the new one. Our whole family used Chess by Post. Being locked out prevents me from communicating with them each day. (At least on the site). It sure looks like Chess by Post wants to ad advertising and charge us for using their site. What happened to just playing chess? ### 2/5 — Used to be great for me… *2026-04-30* The app used to work great. Now games don’t update for forever. I can no longer play ranked games as I get resigned due to the 8-12 days it takes to update a game. It’s a shame as I now have Chess friends around the world. Is this a common bug since the app update? ### 5/5 — Time Controls *2025-02-01* I wish there was an option to choose time controls. Default is 5 days per move. I would like to choose between 1 and 5 days. When playing multiple games it would be nice if the next position when it is my turn to move is displayed rather than manually choosing each game when it is my turn. It would be nice if I could view my opponent’s completed games instead of just win loss draws and search for games by ECO. ### 3/5 — A decent app with a couple of issues. *2024-08-31* The app, overall, is speedy and works as intended. Unfortunately, I see no way to start a rated game that isn’t random. Why can’t we start a rated game against our friends? Also, it’s been like this for years now- the chat deletes apostrophes. It’s the only app I’ve ever seen do that. ### 5/5 — Solid app *2024-06-28* This is a great app that allows you up to five days to make your move. It’s not unheard of that anyone takes that long but 95% of moves are transmitted much more quickly, often many moves are exchanged in a single day. It’s just up to each player. Back in olden times moves in postal chess were transmitted via postcard, so this is much better. Opponents are fellow humans of approximately the same rating. When first starting you are paired with lower rated players, and some of them ghost you (which after five days gives you a win on time) but as your rating improves and you are paired against ever stronger players, you’ll practically never get ghosted. The app has a good demonstration board which allows you to try moves and lines before committing, which along with other resources is allowed in postal chess. (Except one should not use a computer engine to suggest moves; note on that below). There’s a note feature to save idea and moves. I’ve had up to ten games going at a time with no problem, and theres no reason you couldn’t have a lot more than that. Notifications tell you when opponent has moved. Countdown of the time left on the “clock” of whoever’s move it is is clearly expressed, at first in terms of days, and then the last 24 hours is expressed in hours. Then the last hour is expressed in minutes. The free version has ads that are very unobtrusive and was completely satisfactory but I paid the modest fee to get rid of ads, mainly to support the developer. The paid version is a overall better experience but not necessary so long as the developer allows th free option . There is room for improvement. 1. The rating system mimics the Elo rating system but gives wildly inflated ratings compared to US Chess Federation or FIDE ratings. I’m a C class OTB player (USCF) but my rating on the app currently would make me a virtual international master. I am nowhere near that strong and it would be preposterous of me to brag that I have a 2400 chess rating, as I currently do on the app. That’s fine because the ratings work well relative to the ratings of others on this same app, and are used only for pairing purposes, but anyone who is inexperienced in chess ratings could easily get a hyper inflated idea of his or her own playing strength. 2. It would be handy if one could simply swipe left on a game to go to the next game instead of going back to the list of games and selecting another game to view. That’s nothing if you only play one or two games but mildly aggravating if you have a dozen games going. 3. There’s a post game analysis button that has a computer engine analyze the game and tally the good and bad moves, etc. But, for example, a blunder that immediately allows a one move mate might not register as either “inaccurate” or “mistake”. I had such a game that showed me as making 100% accurate moves (all “excellent” or “good”) when in fact one move was so fatal that a rank beginner could have checkmated me immediately. But one can easily email the game in PGN format from within the app so that it can be copied into your own engine for analysis. 4. The Windows desktop app looks the same but is different enough from the iPhone and iPad app to occasionally cause confusion if not paying attention. The windows version also exports finished games in non-English pgn which my separate engines do not recognize. I don’t claim English must be the default but it is inconsistent from the Apple store version. 5. The desktop also uses an approach that is inverse from the Apple version when showing differences in material won by the respective sides. I would prefer the app to use the standard material point value system (pawn=1, rook=5, etc) with the side with the material advantage shown as a plus number. E.g. if I’ve won your bishop and knight and you’ve won my bishop and rook, you should be shown as being +2. But it doesn’t give that tally, and even though captured pieces are clearly shown, one really has to do the (simple) math yourself. 6. The chess puzzle feature is ok but again gives inflated rating estimates and does not transfer between apps on different devices. E.g if i do puzzles on iPhone and reach a certain estimated rating, that rating does not show up in puzzles on my iPad. 7. I have occasionally made a move by accident when I would incorrectly believe I’m in demonstration mode but really am not; the button to commit a move when in “live” mode is in the same spot and is same color as the take back button when in demonstration mode. Of course that is user error but when playing many games it is an easy mistake to make. 8. The rules do not clearly state whether chess engines can be used to suggest moves. I don’t know why anyone would use an engine like that but official FIDE postal chess allows engines (USCF forbids them). That said, I do not believe any of my opponents have ever used an engine for assistance. Post game computer analysis almost always reveals inaccuracies on both sides that a computer engine would never miss, and even when a player plays a highly accurate it still looks like human moves. But the rule forbidding engine assistance should be expressed. 9. I mentioned the note feature, but more useful than saving notes would be the ability to save lines that you’ve tried on the demonstration board. In cases where I believe I can force an advantageous line but might not remember all the work that I’ve put into my analysis, I end up taking a series of screen shots of each move as a way of saving the idea. This long list of suggested improvement may give the wrong impression of my opinion of the app. I really do love it and use it every day. That I can make such a detailed list of suggestions proves how much I use this nice app. ### 5/5 — Best chess app out here *2024-03-06* Have not found a better app for playing chess than this one ### 5/5 — I love it already! *2024-02-04, version 2.2* I have played online chess on many platforms but I love this one because it is simple and easy to navigate. It has just the essentials without all the distractions and modes like chess.com ### 5/5 — Simple, No Fuss Chess *2023-04-22, version 2.1* For quite a while, I had the free version. After falling out with chess for a few years, ( not the app, I might add), I reloaded the app again. A relatively recent update has included analysis of finished games and puzzles. You can also track your progress by way of a graph. Sometimes, I get in the doldrums and my grade plummets. But it’s good to see it creep back up. Recommended. ### 5/5 — Very good! But partly foul userbase. *2023-01-24* Thanks for implementing the engine! Love it! If I choose to rematch it‘d great to be able to choose the sides; at the moment it’s always white. Edit: Not about the app but the users: Cheaters are getting more and more, which kills the fun. No possibility to report. ### 5/5 — Great fun to play with human opponents again. *2022-05-08* Your move... ## Frequently asked questions about Chess By Post Premium ### What is Chess By Post Premium? Chess By Post Premium is a paid version of the app that allows you to play correspondence chess with real people. It offers ranked matches against similarly skilled opponents, practice chess puzzles, and detailed game analysis features without any advertisements. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include playing correspondence chess, automatic push notifications for waiting moves, skill ranking using the Elo system, a leader board, practice chess puzzles, end-game analysis, head-to-head stats, and an interactive move history explorer. ### How much does Chess By Post Premium cost? This is the paid version of the app and does not have advertisements. The description indicates it is a premium, paid version, implying a one-time purchase or subscription for access. ### Can I play offline with this app? Yes, local hand-off games can be played offline by passing the phone back and forth between friends. However, playing against remote opponents or using features like push notifications requires an internet connection. ### Who is the target audience for this app? The app is perfect for players of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced players. It adapts opponent skill levels to match your own, ensuring a balanced and challenging experience for everyone. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.2 — 2023-10-30 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 2.1 — 2022-10-30 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 2.0 — 2022-04-22 Introducing a major update with many new features: Chess Puzzles - Solve rated puzzles and watch your own rating improve. Game Analysis Reports - A chess engine analyzes every move of a finished game to identify the best and worst moves Move History Statistics - Explore the moves of every game you ever played with an interactive board explorer Computer Opponent - Play against a computer opponent with automatically adjusted difficulty ### 1.8 — 2020-09-01 Bug fixes ### 1.7.4 — 2020-02-25 Bug fixes and performance improvements ## Apps similar to Chess By Post Premium | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [SocialChess • Online Chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/socialchess-online-chess/id442239737) | 4.7 (7,168) | Free | Games | | [Chess - Chess Online](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-chess-online/id1547549647) | 4.9 (6,519) | Free | Games | | [Chess Royale](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-royale/id1434658250) | 4.5 (19,911) | Free | Games | | [Chess ∙](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856) | 4.5 (204,953) | Free | Games | | [Chess.com - Play and Learn](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549) | 4.8 (816,078) | Free | Games | | [Chess Universe - Play Online](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-universe-play-online/id1487204900) | 4.7 (5,989) | Free | Games | ## More apps by Games By Post LLC - [Words By Post](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/words-by-post/id449504481) - [Words By Post Premium](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/words-by-post-premium/id505384445) - [Chess By Post](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-by-post/id509928358) - [Checkers By Post](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkers-by-post/id889394213) - [Checkers By Post Premium](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkers-by-post-premium/id889419542) All apps by Games By Post LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/449504484 --- *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 2026-09-03.*