# Chess Crusade — Fairy Pieces & Battle Deck > Chess variant with deck-building, fairy pieces, and strategic upgrades. (iPhone/iPad app by Toast - Apps and Software LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-crusade/id6446124494 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Toast - Apps and Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/393055476) - Category: Games, Board, Strategy - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.40/5 from 86 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 88 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2023-09-28 - Data updated: 2026-08-24 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-crusade/id6446124494/reviews.md ## What is Chess Crusade? MEET CHESS CRUSADE It’s the game that’s easier than chess and harder than chess at the same time. It’s chess for the curious, and it’s a new challenge for the deck-builders. Wield powerful new character pieces like Nightrider, Archbishop, and Angel to attack or protect the king in stunningly colorful worlds. Checkmate is just the beginning. Even when one game ends, your strategy continues. Refine your deck, experiment with your opening line-up, plot your next character upgrade, redeem your rewards, and win your way to the nearly unstoppable Angel. The more you play, the more powerful you become. GAMEPLAY Gameplay starts with a few pieces; choose wisely or you won’t have long to live. With each turn you survive, earn more Material and spawn a strategic new piece from your battle complement. But watch out, the game can change in a single turn—who will your opponent spawn? If they’re saving their gold, you could get slapped with the Angel, and she’s anything but angelic. DECK-BUILDING Between games, build up your deck. Your deck has four card slots for Chess Crusade pieces—upgrade pawns to Rangers, sanctify your Archbishop, or run the brutal Rook Rush play. WARRIORS AND ROYALTY Chess Crusade springs from traditional chess—you’ll find the bishop, rook, knight, pawns and queen protecting the king. But in Chess Crusade, everyone in the kingdom has counterparts who are biggerbetterfaster. Ranger—Every pawn wishes he were a Ranger: the awesome hat, the damsels, and the freedom to move back and forth. Priest—The Priest sidles in the shadows, following in the bishop’s footsteps for a lower ante. Tower—He’s a rook in training. What he lacks in reach, he makes up for with his willing spirit. Princess—She’s delicate and beautiful, but she’ll send you straight to the gallows if you attack the throne. Nightrider—He’s in the king’s special forces, brave like a knight with sneak-attack range. Crusader—The Crusader is a battle machine. He’s all knight and all rook, balancing long-range straightlines with a hooked-L surprise. Archbishop—The Archbishop is holier and more corrupt, with a staggering 20-position reach. Angel—She’s terrifying. PACE Play ranked PvP games or casual PvE games at your speed; be a Sloth and sleep on your next play for 23 hours of the day, take the calculated approach in 15-minute rounds, or ratchet up the heat in turns once every minute. FRIENDS Crusade with friends or challenge foes from the global leaderboard. You can even spectate live games friends are playing or learn from the top players in the kingdom. WORLDS Earn beautiful new themes to frame your battles. From the lovely Queen’s Meadow to the fiery Lava Flows, you’re far away in an epic landscape plotting a sacrifice or the ultimate endgame. GEMS Customize your world with avatars, card pieces, and taunts (“Bean slouch!”) from the shoppe. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “It’s making me crazy. I cannot stop playing.” —JordyB “I’ve been playing chess for eight years and was skeptical a fun, new version could ever be created. I was wrong. It’s approachable, visually great, and addicting. I’ve played hundreds of games in just a few days.” - 04tuna “This game absolutely ruined me for regular chess. I can’t imagine playing now without Nightrider, Crusader, or Ranger.” - Rank13 “This game will resonate with people who already love chess but are open to new experiences.” - Whom’st ## Key features - Fairy chess pieces - Deck-building mechanics - Strategic piece upgrades - Ranked PvP and PvE modes - Customizable worlds and avatars - Spectate and learn from top players ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Gem Pack 3 | $14.99 | one-time | | Gem Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time | | Gem Pack 2 | $4.99 | one-time | | Gem Pack 4 | $49.99 | one-time | | Gem Pack 5 | $99.99 | one-time | | Username Change | $2.99 | one-time | | Multi-Game Pass | $0.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 13) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-crusade/id6446124494/reviews.md ### 3/5 — When playing=lots of fun,but most of the time waiting *2025-03-07* I know a lot of people complained about playing against a bot but I just want to play. It takes soooo long. Just give me the option to play a bot. Progressively get better or don’t. Please I just want to play ### 1/5 — Great ideas, poor execution *2025-02-17* Overall love the concept but this games buggy, and art style is hard to play with. Overall poor experience. ### 1/5 — This stupid racist game *2024-05-10* This game is so stupid and the admin just doesn’t not like black people and they just posted some hate speech in their bans **Developer response:** False and inappropriate information. ### 5/5 — Cool *2023-11-08* Very cool ### 1/5 — Lying about multiplayer *2023-10-09* There is no multiplayer here. Despite being able to choose between a bot and a player, you will ALWAYS be against a bot which is a joke to beat. Edit: Thanks you devs for confirming in your response that you are lying about multiplayer. I have not seen ONE human player. You are full of it. **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback. It is indeed multiplayer-first. Every game attempts to match you with a player, but will defer to a bot if none are found. You can also directly challenge any player to a game when you are looking for a match! ### 5/5 — Loving the game so far! *2023-10-09* As a chess player, this game provides fresh tactics, strategies and logic to the classic game. ### 1/5 — Lying about multiplayer *2023-10-06* There is no multiplayer here. Despite being able to choose between a bot and a player, you will ALWAYS be against a bot which is a joke to beat. **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback. It is indeed multiplayer-first. Every game attempts to match you with a player, but will defer to a bot if none are found. You can also directly challenge any player to a game when you are looking for a match! ### 4/5 — Great idea. Needs some work. *2023-10-05* Very interesting idea. Can’t say I don’t like it. It’s actually really fun. But there are a few issues. Besides a few bugs the game needs some balance tweaks. Units either cost too little or you earn too much each turn. It’s really difficult to checkmate an opponent who can keep spamming defenders. Also, a 6x6 board is way too small for this game. It’s incredibly easy to end up with useless pieces because there just isn’t enough space to move them around. And finally the contrast between the dark and light squares is too low. It’s difficult at best to see the difference. All in all a fun game and I hope it continues to improve. ### 5/5 — Such a great take on a favorite! *2023-10-02* I love this game and it’s unique take on a long-time favorite of mine. Plus, it helps take a game that can take hours and condense it down into 5 minutes or less, giving you the ability to play a quick game even if you don’t have hours to sit down at a table. It’s a creative twist on a long-standing tradition while still managing to be just as original, and I love that about it the most! When you play the game, it doesn’t just feel like a rip off of chess, it truly feels fresh and new. I highly recommend playing this game! ### 5/5 — Nice spin on the classic game *2023-09-30* This game is really cool. I like how all the chess rules are still in effect, but it’s mixed with a deck building system kind of like Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It’s a fun time ## Frequently asked questions about Chess Crusade ### What is Chess Crusade? Chess Crusade is a game that combines traditional chess with deck-building elements. It introduces new 'fairy pieces' with unique abilities and allows players to build and upgrade their battle decks to gain strategic advantages. ### What are the key features of Chess Crusade? Key features include a variety of powerful fairy pieces like the Archbishop and Angel, a deck-building system to customize your lineup, strategic piece upgrades, ranked PvP and casual PvE game modes, and customizable worlds and avatars. ### How does Chess Crusade make money? The game is free to download and play, but it offers in-app purchases. Players can buy gems to customize their world with avatars, card pieces, and taunts, enhancing their game experience. ### What kind of chess pieces are in Chess Crusade? Chess Crusade features traditional chess pieces like the bishop, rook, knight, pawns, and queen, alongside enhanced 'fairy pieces'. These include the Ranger, Priest, Tower, Princess, Nightrider, Crusader, Archbishop, and the formidable Angel, each with unique abilities. ### Can I play Chess Crusade with friends? Yes, you can crusade with friends in Chess Crusade. You can also challenge foes from the global leaderboard, spectate live games your friends are playing, and learn from the strategies of top players. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.2.1 — 2025-07-24 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 1.2 — 2024-04-14 - New: Challenge suggestions - Improved onboarding tutorial - Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 1.1.3 — 2024-04-03 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 1.1.2 — 2023-10-12 - Added indicator when waiting for opponent to place cards - Added indicator when people are spectating ### 1.1.1 — 2023-10-04 Bug fixes and performance improvements ## Apps similar to Chess Crusade | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Chess Universe - Play Online](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-universe-play-online/id1487204900) | 4.7 (5,989) | Free | Games | | [Chess Clash: Online & Offline](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-clash-online-and-offline/id1543399979) | 4.7 (3,130) | Free | Games | | [Chess.com - Play and Learn](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesscom-play-and-learn/id329218549) | 4.8 (807,166) | Free | Games | | [Chess ∙](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess/id311395856) | 4.5 (204,953) | Free | Games | | [Chess - Learn, Play & Trainer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-learn-play-and-trainer/id378161776) | 4.6 (1,523) | Free | Games | | [Chess Tiger Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-tiger-pro/id423198259) | 4.9 (23,591) | $9.99 | Games | ## More apps by Toast - Apps and Software LLC - [RADD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/radd/id653804398) - [Spiritual Gifts Test](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spiritual-gifts-test/id680234954) - [Space Munchies](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-munchies/id821075736) - [Mafia Mystery](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mafia-mystery/id892955084) - [Vibrio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vibrio/id1029265184) - [Pixel Plex: City Builder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-plex-city-builder/id1296964678) All apps by Toast - Apps and Software LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/393055476 --- *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 2026-08-24.*