# HandMate: Card Chess — Online duels. Cards decide.

> Online duels. Cards decide. (iPhone/iPad app by Clau SEWL.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handmate-card-chess/id6822851393 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Clau SEWL](https://appshunter.io/developer/523513236)
- Category: Games, Board, Card
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 8 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Portuguese, Romanian, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish
- Released: 2026-11-09
- Data updated: 2026-11-11

## What is HandMate?

Chess, dealt differently.

In HandMate, the cards in your hand decide which pieces you may move. A Knight card moves a knight. Knight / Bishop lets you choose. No card for your rook? Then your rook waits.

Each turn you draw, then play up to two cards: one piece card for your move and one tactic to bend the board. Freeze the attacker, shield your king, shove a defender off the line, ambush a pawn, or swap your king with a rook in a single breath.

There is no check and no checkmate. You win by capturing the king, so every exposed king is a target, and every turn asks the same question: which cards might your opponent be holding?

PLAY ONLINE
• Quick match: rated games against real players of a similar rating (needs Sign in with Apple)
• Private rooms: send a code to a friend and play a friendly game, even as a guest
• Turn-based: finish a game in one sitting or play one move a day; each turn waits up to 3 days
• Waiting for an opponent? Play a practice game against a bot in the meantime. It is always labelled as a bot and never counts
• Rematch with one tap

FIVE BOTS, BEGINNER TO EXPERT
• Win your way up the ladder: Medium, Hard and Expert unlock as you beat the level below
• The Expert looks ahead at your best reply and weighs every hand you might be holding. It never peeks at your cards

EVERY DAY
• Daily Hand: the same deal for everyone, with a streak and a Game Center leaderboard
• 60 puzzles: capture the king this turn with the cards you hold
• Earn Crowns for wins, puzzles and streaks

COLLECT
• Over 100 piece sets, boards, card backs and card faces to collect. Many are unlocked with Crowns, which are earned only by playing
• Nothing you can buy changes the game: both players always use the same 40-card deck, balanced over a million simulated games

ALSO INSIDE
• King danger warning with the odds of being captured next turn
• Frenzy from round 15: both cards may move pieces, and games end with a bang
• Pass & Play for two on one device, a playable tutorial, a card catalog with tips and the full rules
• 8 languages, no ads, no tracking. Everything except online play works offline

HANDMATE CLUB
The game is free. The optional Club subscription adds puzzles 21 to 60, the Daily Hand archive and Club-only cosmetics, with Family Sharing.

Club subscription terms: the Club is an auto-renewing subscription, available monthly or yearly. The yearly plan may include a free trial for eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when a free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically at the same price and duration unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.

Terms of Use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://clausewl.github.io/dicemate/handmate/privacy.html

Learn it in a minute. The cards change every game.

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HandMate Club Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| HandMate Club Monthly | $4.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ember Night Pieces | $4.99 | one-time |
| Neon Glyphs Pieces | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pharaoh's Gold Pieces | $4.99 | one-time |
| Golden Menagerie Pieces | $3.99 | one-time |
| Dragonfire Pieces | $4.99 | one-time |
| Arcade Pieces | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ice Giants Pieces | $2.99 | one-time |
| Royal Pieces | $2.99 | one-time |


## Is HandMate safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess HandMate.

## Is HandMate legit?

HandMate: Card Chess appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for HandMate is 75 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.0.0 — 2026-11-10

No release notes.

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All apps by Clau SEWL: https://appshunter.io/developer/523513236

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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 2026-11-11.*