# Chess - Free — user reviews > 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Chess by 况 郭, rated 3.10/5 from 75 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-free/id541067628/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chess-free/id541067628.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 30 · 4★ 7 · 3★ 8 · 2★ 4 · 1★ 26 ## Newest reviews (10 of 35) ### 2/5 — Need to fix *2026-02-07, version 1.3.0* Every time I try to play this game it’s lags and glitches and I have to close the game to play whenever I move a chess piece it lags and it is pretty much unplayable. ### 3/5 — Can’t figure out how to castle *2023-04-06, version 1.3.0* Can’t figure out how to castle. ### 3/5 — Difficulty ratings are confusing *2023-02-18, version 1.3.0* It’s an okay chess app. But no analysis offered. And I wish it would give an estimate of elo ratings for the difficulty settings. I would estimate the “Novice” difficulty ranking to be close to 1600-1700 elo. Which is not novice… I also wish we had an idea how many moves ahead the engine is thinking. I’m afraid the confusion with “novice,” not truly being a novice play type will turn off new chess enthusiasts. I will give credit where credits is due: this is one of the most difficult chess engines I have played. ### 4/5 — Undo doesn't exist in real chess *2023-02-16, version 1.3.0* Why include the "undo"? Che has always been used as a life learning experience. There are no undo in real life, and this game also doesn't have it according to the real rules of this game. I feel like you turned the game into an unrealistic expectation. Imagine when kids begin playing with other kids or adults who know that chess has no undo. More mass shootings. ### 4/5 — By player *2023-01-03, version 1.3.0* Very challenging game and very great ### 2/5 — Needs REDO button *2022-08-13, version 1.3.0* Once I load a saved game I can’t analyze it well because there’s only an UNDO button and not a REDO button ### 2/5 — Pawn poor *2020-12-31, version 1.3.0* Most of the gameplay is very good. However, in the end game stages when pawns are in play, taking of pawns is not correct. Pawns are taken by the game when on adjacent squares rather than on diagonals. ### 4/5 — Illegal move *2020-12-26, version 1.3.0* Out of the blue the computer moved a pawn forward one square on the diagonal, it was just a move not a capture, I hit the reply and the piece continued to make the move repeatedly, not repeated in subsequent games, FYI ### 4/5 — Beginner level programming error? *2020-09-13, version 1.3.0* Even an absolute beginner should be able to beat the weakest “Fool” level, which is programmed to capture opponents pieces automatically, without any consideration to the consequences. You’d think that the next level up (“Beginner”) would be a walk in the park, but you’d be wrong. In my experience, this is a very tough and awkward level, and I would argue that it’s much stronger than at least the next level up (“Rookie”), and quite possibly stronger than the “Novice” level (the 4th weakest level) too. Also, if I’m losing a game when using this app, it would be nice to have an option to resign, just like you’d be able to in a real-life chess game. If I were coming to this app completely fresh, and already knowing what I know now, I’d be tempted to skip the so-called “Beginner” level and maybe return to it later when I’ve mastered at least the “Rookie” and “Novice” levels. For this reason, and the fact that you can’t resign a game, this app loses a star. ### 1/5 — Online play? *2019-01-27, version 1.3.0* The description says you can add family members and that it works for online play. I don’t see anywhere to add family members nor a way to play specific players. I got this to play with a family member online. It doesn’t appear to do that. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Chess *2026-02-25, version 1.3.0* At first it was lovely but after a few months it started glitching and not moving pieces ### 1/5 — trash *2025-08-09* worst app ever known to donut. ### 1/5 — Failed to connect. *2023-05-30, version 1.3.0* "Failed to connect" message every time I try to play now. It used to work great. What happened? My iOS is up to date all the time. I gave up and installed Chess Online + ### 1/5 — Worst of all chess games on line *2023-05-27, version 1.3.0* Used to work and was clean platform to play a game but too many bugs and too many disconnects anw dose not even get connected. Don’t waste your time ### 1/5 — Recurring Illegal Move *2021-07-19, version 1.3.0* Several times now the computer has made an illegal capture with the same glitch. The computer sometimes takes your pawn by moving its own pawn diagonally to an unoccupied square behind your pawn. The only way to avoid this in your game is to move a different piece. Another review said that this happened to him only once, but this has happened to me multiple times in 25 games. ### 1/5 — I stink at this *2021-05-31, version 1.3.0* The computer is so good. I mean, like, crazy good. I can’t win. They need a baby level for those like me who are good but not mastery level. Good luck to everyone who wants to lose their self esteem when it comes to chess ### 1/5 — I Forgot *2021-01-29, version 1.3.0* Since watching Queens Gambit, my chess bug once lost has been found. However on this app, when set to the expert level, if it senses it might get beat, it cheats with illegal moves. I’m sure the developer grew tired but if the app doesn’t play straight up chess, it’s a waste of time. Really disappointed because I forgot this app did this and why I deleted a long time ago. Let me know when you fix the bugs. ### 1/5 — GAME BREAKING BUG *2020-11-04, version 1.3.0* I thought this app was 5* until I realised there is a massive bug in the game. If you move a pawn from H2 to H4, and an opponent pawn is on G4, the opponent’s pawn then moves to H5 and takes your pawn on H4! An illegal move and it there’s clearly something wrong in the code. This may seem trivial but its game breaking and until the devs fix this, I cannot even begin to contemplate giving the 5* this game otherwise deserves. ### 1/5 — Terrible *2020-05-27, version 1.3.0* Computer in beginner mode is even ridiculous. It will often repeat moves until you are forced to draw, or until you HAVE to make 2 moves in a row essentially breaking your defense. ### 1/5 — Are You Kidding Me *2020-04-04, version 1.3.0* You mean to tell me that you couldn’t program this game so that iPad users can use it in “Landscape “ mode. My case doesn’t let me rest it in portrait mode. What a joke. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great app *2025-06-06, version 1.3.0* Please update app very good app but need to online game ### 5/5 — Nice online chess game *2022-06-05, version 1.3.0* Good for playing online. Cant beat computer all the time. Buttons are in Chinese for some reason, the rest is in English. Fixes: Nice if you could chat players you want to play with before actually starting game. Would also be nice if you could save being as guest, for the bought version. I seem to win more games against online players as guest because im more relaxed. ### 5/5 — Please update *2021-04-02* Very nice, please update. ### 5/5 — Wow... *2020-11-11, version 1.3.0* So I’m a pretty serious chess player, and I’m really really into computer chess/engine chess... when I get bored I’ll download a bunch of random chess apps and play them against each other at their highest difficulty, in little engine/chess bot tourneys.. I always play the winner against Stockfish (11, not 12 which I know is the newest and best, but v.11 is still a world renowned chess software amongst players and the computer chess world, elite engine nonetheless, certainly a 3000+ Elo I would assume...) This app one it’s little tourney and in the 3 games vs Stockfish that it played (1 white, 1 black, then one random) it one its first game with the white pieces in an AMAZING! Passed pawn pushing end game. It drew the 2nd game with black, and it drew the 3rd game with white... incredible. I’ve seen some of these apps perform very well vs Stockfish and even force some draws here and there with the white pieces, but I’ve NEVER!!! Seen an app beat that engine, and I’ve NEVER!!! Seen results other than a loss with the black pieces... Amazing stuff... ### 5/5 — Great app *2020-10-12, version 1.3.0* Literal tens of thousands of chess puzzles included in the app and are very fun to solve ### 5/5 — Needs improvement *2020-09-15, version 1.3.0* How about an upgrade...a ELO RANK calculator based on the game you play that is AI and learns your game. ### 5/5 — Good *2020-04-20, version 1.3.0* Good ### 5/5 — So Happy 😁 *2019-06-21, version 1.3.0* Thank you so much to who ever came up with this app!!! I’m not very good at chess only won one game of chess in my life 😂 But this game helps me learn better strategy’s and moves! It’s fun to play because like I said I wasn’t very good at the beginning,So... I got to pick from what difficulty I wanted!!! And there’s like 10 different difficulty levels you can pick from... Very pleased, It deserves 5 Stars!!! ### 5/5 — gsheat *2019-01-30, version 1.3.0* This is the most user friendly game ever! Has 3000 puzzles starting from easy to hard, they’re very user-friendly you can back up and you can try as many times as you like to do it until you get it. You may solve these puzzles anyway you like, but it will always solve the puzzle the quickest way. You can go to lan settings and play online or against your friends. Just click on “lan settings” and it will prompt. I’m sure your friends would have to have the chess app as well and go into “lan settings.” you are like part of the club at that point. You can have a username, totally free of charge. You can set up the board very easily, anywhere you like. it will play positions you set up, against you or it’s self. It also keeps up with the moves in the game, just have to save the game first, go back to “saved games” and load it move by move. you can go to each move as you like or Any moves in the game. ### 5/5 — Greedy for our money nothing's Free if you want no adds *2018-12-13, version 1.3.0* This app could be better. ... But then, ...it cost you! Greedy --- *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 2026-08-25.*