Used to be great for me…
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?
A decent app with a couple of issues.
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.
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.
Solid app
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.
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.
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Best chess app out here
Have not found a better app for playing chess than this one
I love it already!
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
Simple, No Fuss Chess
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.
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.
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Great fun to play with human opponents again.
Your move...
On my 1st home screen
This is THE chess app to own for rated multi-player. The icon is on my first app page. Chess pieces have clean bold design, easy to identify. The rewind and plan ahead features are invaluable. The new puzzles feature is incredible!!!
FEATURE REQUEST: Please offer an option to disable vibrate when another player makes a move on a different game while I am concentrating on my current game.
FEATURE REQUEST: Please offer an option to disable vibrate when another player makes a move on a different game while I am concentrating on my current game.
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My idea
I would like to be able to view some game of the better players. Maybe you could hide the players names if necessary. Thanks. Love your game program.
Great Online Chess App
I like others am happy to pay the small charge for this app. It lets you play people from all over the world and the interface is clear and user friendly.
Best Chess App!
Love playing here 😎
It works. No bugs.
A pleasure to use.
No notifications
I receive no notification when it’s my opponent’s turn although I already turned on notification in Settings . I’m using Iphone 7 with latest iOs version. Please fix. Thank you
Love this chess App! Works great!
Feature Request:
There really needs to be a block function to be able to block other players if they become offensive! Once you are matched in a rated game with someone all you can do is end the game. Once you end A game the offensive player is still on your play list and they can still send messages to you. This needs to be averted!
There really needs to be a block function to be able to block other players if they become offensive! Once you are matched in a rated game with someone all you can do is end the game. Once you end A game the offensive player is still on your play list and they can still send messages to you. This needs to be averted!
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❤️
Clean, tight no frills app. Latest update with board coordinates is great as well!
Glitch free and simply designed
I’ve been using this app for some 5 years and I’ve remained happy with it. I’ve used it in many platforms and it syncs well, too. Worth the money.
Chess without all the fanfare
This is what I’ve been looking for in online chess. Simple, subdued and a lot of fun. This is chess, not some social network without photos, mini biographies, or popularity contest.
I can play under quiet and reserved conditions. Take my time to think and plan and above all else, enjoy myself with a good game of chess.
I can play under quiet and reserved conditions. Take my time to think and plan and above all else, enjoy myself with a good game of chess.
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Finally a straightforward chess app
Happy to pay for this app on all 3 platforms. I just wish that from time to time I could get a game as black. Is there a way to do this?
Good app but ....
Lot of things to do to be great.
No service by producer.
No service by producer.
excelent! :)
This app is so good that is actually the first one I bought on App Store.. (and first one to leave review) No kidding! :) I was always fan of chess and this app gave me and my friends (all over the planet) chance to play and also stay in daily touch.. :)
Thanx!
Thanx!
