# Fidchell — The Celtic Game of Kings

> Ancient Celtic strategy board game with piece trapping mechanics. (iPhone/iPad app by Philippe Schober.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fidchell/id1506068742 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Philippe Schober](https://appshunter.io/developer/1394832107)
- Category: Games, Board, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.14/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 213 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2020-08-28
- Data updated: 2026-06-02
- Monetization: ad-supported
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fidchell/id1506068742/reviews.md

## What is Fidchell?

Fidchell, which is also called Faery Chess or Celtic Chess, is an ancient celtic game which was mentioned in multiple Irish epics and chronicles. Under the name of Gwyddbwyll it also appears in the Welsh Mabinogion and seems to have been held in peculiar reverence throughout the British Isles. Faery Chess is what emerged from Nigel Suckling's investigations and speculations about the lost game.

The game is played an a board consisting of circles and lines on which the game pieces are placed and can move along. Similar to games like the ancient abstract board game Nine Men's Morris the pieces are first placed onto the board in turn and moved afterwards once all of them have been placed. The capturing of pieces works differently though and is alike to Tafl games: a piece gets captured if a player traps it between two of his own pieces. This even grants him another move with which he may trap another one and so on.

The app features two variants of the game: the basic edition which is easier to understand and where both players are treated equally and the advanced version which has different goals for both players. The general goal is to connect the central Naval stone with the border of the board by forming a connected line of stones.

This app features both game modes for offline play against a human or the computer/AI and asynchronous online play against humans.

The app is ad supported. These ads can be permanently deactivated through an one-time In App Purchase (IAP).

## Key features

- Ancient Celtic board game
- Piece trapping capture mechanic
- Two game variants (basic and advanced)
- Offline play vs AI or human
- Asynchronous online multiplayer
- Ad-free option via IAP

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fidchell/id1506068742/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Too small on iPhone

*2025-05-25*

Can’t be played. Brilliant numbnuts.

### 4/5 — Great Game but I can’t find anyone online, and can’t delete my profile

*2025-03-08*

For both fidchell and Hnefatafl I made a profile to play online after practicing with the AI, but couldn’t find anyone. Now I’m trying to delete my profile but even after following the directions it won’t let me delete it.

### 5/5 — I’m so grateful for this!!

*2024-08-01*

Its crazy, I’ve wanted to learn fidchell for ages, but my first issue was I didn’t know where to learn, and second, I have no one to play it with. This solved all of that, and for free?? Go raibh maith agaibh!

### 4/5 — Almost perfect

*2024-07-12*

Awesome game very fun to play with friends I only docked a star because the AI in the game makes solo play nearly impossible it seems as though it has a win calculated from your first move and quickly dominates you

### 5/5 — Challenging

*2022-02-06*

This game is amazing for skill and thought. Very challenging but so much fun

## Frequently asked questions about Fidchell

### What is Fidchell?

Fidchell is an ancient Celtic board game, also known as Faery Chess or Celtic Chess. It was mentioned in Irish epics and chronicles and shares similarities with games like Nine Men's Morris and Tafl games.

### How do you capture pieces in Fidchell?

Piece capturing in Fidchell is unique: a piece is captured when a player traps it between two of their own pieces. This can grant the player an additional move.

### What are the game modes in Fidchell?

Fidchell offers two variants: a basic edition with equal player treatment and an advanced version with different goals for each player. The general objective is to connect the central stone to the board's border.

### Can I play Fidchell offline?

Yes, Fidchell supports offline play against a computer/AI or another human player. It also features asynchronous online play against other humans.

### Does Fidchell have ads?

Yes, Fidchell is ad-supported. These advertisements can be permanently removed through a one-time in-app purchase.

### What devices is Fidchell available on?

Fidchell is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed for iOS devices.

### How often is Fidchell updated?

The latest version of Fidchell is 2.25, and it was last updated on August 12, 2024. This indicates regular maintenance and potential feature additions.

### What is the age rating for Fidchell?

Fidchell has an age rating of 4+. This suggests it is suitable for young children and contains no mature content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.25 — 2024-08-12

- Fixed a problem with the server certificates.
- Improved the speed of the AI.
- Fixed a label that wasn't translated upon language change.
- Updated the translation files.
- It is now possible to undo chain moves of the AI that are longer than 2 moves in a row.

### 2.20 — 2022-02-17

Added the planning mode.
Improved the undo function for online matches in combination with chained moves.
Added language support for Toki Pona.

### 2.19.1 — 2021-09-05

Fixed a problem that prevented the starting of matches on some devices.

### 2.19 — 2021-08-23

The AI will now continue to play if you issue a challenge in advanced mode.
The AI will currently not issue challenges themselves though. We are working on that.
This changelog will now be shown for all languages. It didn't work in some like Polish.
Added the tracking transparency dialog to configure the tracking options.
Added the option to delete your account. This will affect all Fellhuhn games.
Updated the translations.

### 2.16 — 2021-02-11

Opening online matches that resulted in a draw is possible now.
Invites will now show the set timeout for each move.
Invites can be declined now.
Corrected the display of the ELO ratings in some places.
Bulgarian translation added.
Matches without timeouts will now show the correct info in the game summary.
Added an online indicator which will show if a player has been active recently.

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## More apps by Philippe Schober

- [Troll Patrol](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/troll-patrol/id1394832108)
- [Hnefatafl](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hnefatafl/id1498725934)
- [Wehrschach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wehrschach/id1534485190)

All apps by Philippe Schober: https://appshunter.io/developer/1394832107

## Related topics

[fidchell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fidchell)

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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 2026-06-02.*