# HIARCS Chess for iPad — user reviews > 154 indexed App Store user reviews of HIARCS Chess for iPad by Applied Computer Concepts Ltd., rated 4.70/5 from 179 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess-for-ipad/id462201312/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hiarcs-chess-for-ipad/id462201312.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 145 · 4★ 20 · 3★ 6 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 5 ## What do users think of HIARCS Chess for iPad? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Powerful chess engine - 👍 Adjustable playing strength - 👍 Realistic human-like play - 👍 Excellent coaching and analysis features - 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface - 👍 Comprehensive opening book - 👍 Versatile customization options **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs - 🔍 Small and hard-to-read text - 🔍 Cluttered and outdated UI design - 💰 Expensive compared to other chess apps **Commonly reported bugs** - Compatibility issues with iOS 8 and newer - Graphical issues with move quality display - Inability to resign or stop the game clock **Most requested features** - Add ability to view and navigate variations - Improve visibility and placement of game clocks - Implement FEN clipboard/email import function - Add back/forward buttons to navigate games - Increase font size and readability of text ## Newest reviews (18 of 154) ### 5/5 — Very good! *2022-11-27, version 13.8.9* This is a very good chess program for both beginners and advanced players. ### 5/5 — Great chess program *2022-10-16, version 13.8.9* Some times hangs up but mostly it’s right on point playing the right ELO I’m 2300 and it’s like playing a real person. I really like you can go back and look at a variation in the game and play that out. When I let the computer play full strength it plays 2800 and kicks my &*&&. I really think it’s strongest in the end game at that point. I would Really wish they would dress up the game with new graphics pieces and 3D but I understand they just want to make money. It’s always about them making money. I’ll keep looking for another chess program but for now this works for me. ### 5/5 — Great Sparring Partner *2022-10-15, version 13.8.9* This may not be the strongest chess engine in the App Store, but it plays the most human like game. And since it’s high end can still give Grandmasters a good game, it’s the best to practice your game against. ### 5/5 — Great program *2022-10-06, version 13.8.9* Excellent chess program! Only problem is, I had already written this review some time back and the program continually asks me to rate it! Aaaarrrggghhh! ### 5/5 — Still the best *2022-09-08, version 13.8.5* Great teacher and great partner ### 5/5 — A well reserved reputation *2022-06-21, version 13.8.5* Very good for quick orientation in new and difficult territory. Don't expect to encounter super-powers, but it is like a good friend helping to find the proper trail on the quick. ### 5/5 — Simply the best *2022-04-03, version 13.8.5* Simply the best and most enjoyable of all the chess games I've ever played. ### 5/5 — Excellent. *2022-01-28, version 13.8.5* I couldn’t ask for a better Chess App. 👍 ### 5/5 — One of the best *2021-11-22, version 13.8.5* Very good interface , strong engine , easy to use. My decreasing eyesight would like a easier to see font for the book moves.but that is a minor issue. Great chess app ### 5/5 — Great App for training *2021-10-27, version 13.8.5* I get good games from this app and fun analysis ### 3/5 — Not For The Handicapped (Hearing and Visual) *2021-02-28, version 13.8.4* Sound - even at the Loud setting is ANEMIC, like a chirp on my iPad Pro at its loudest setting! My hearing loss finds me glance at the TERRIBLY LOCATED CLOCKS! The clocks cannot be located in a worse position. Far apart and small sizes too! Did it move? I often find myself looking at its clock to determine that it moved! It cannot be much worse in both moving and signaling its last move! The best chess apps show an arrow between from/to squares, no hesitation in guessing the last chess app’s move. If you have hearing and/or vision difficulties AVOID HIARCS (I have both handicaps). They forgot about the handicapped! ### 4/5 — Good app but a bit buggy *2021-01-08, version 13.8.4* 1. When try to safe a game and try to type a name for the event, you cannot see what you are typing 2. App crashes occasionally which is very annoying. Otherwise good app ### 5/5 — HIARCS on iPad *2021-01-07, version 13.8.4* Very pleased with this program. No bugs that I've found, lots of options to adjust everything & a good opponent. ### 4/5 — Great chess program however the latest version crashes *2020-12-21, version 13.8.4* I have used Hiarcs for several years now and it is a very strong program and great fortraining. however thelatestversion has a tendabcy to crash halfway through game. I am running it on an ipad mini with all the latest updates. ### 5/5 — Human like playing style *2020-12-14, version 13.8.4* I have some of the best UCI chess engines on my PC. But I think no engine can play similar to what Hiarcs is doing. He plays like a chess grandmaster (Yes, he will easily crush you!) but in doing so he also sometimes do weak moves like a normal human player will do. ### 5/5 — A pure jewel *2020-11-27, version 13.8.4* The best chess program on the iPad. It is possible to buy on the developer's site an opening book that is installed with iTunes and contains millions of positions (25,000,000 currently). The program resigns, offers a draw, and its strength is about 2900 ELO. ### 4/5 — No bad, not bad at all *2020-11-16, version 13.8.3* Quite a good app, the chess is excellent as is the feature set, but the interface is a little ‘lumpy’ and could do with some polish. It will not always let you resign, and sometimes there is a complete lack of feedback on some of the menu choices which makes it difficult to understand what us happening. I would prefer to be able to set a lower ranking, not a biggy, as you can lose ranking points, but it is more motivational to gain points than lose. Not sure why it allows you to play on after you have resigned? Or, why it tells you all current progress on a game will be lost when you start a new game after Checkmate? Surely it should just start the new game.? Yes, all on all, a good app def worth 4 stars, but not 5 ### 5/5 — New app icon *2020-11-15, version 13.8.3* Please create a new app icon. The current one is just plain creepy. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — There is no feedback from the developer. *2025-04-02, version 13.8.9* It would be great to have a FEN clipboard/email import function. Back <~> Forward buttons, to navigate already open PGN. ### 1/5 — 13.8.6 update *2022-09-21, version 13.8.6* Prior version worked great with my millennium eOne, update does not. Tried to play a game as black and the a1 and a8 rooks started blinking after connecting with bluetooth. Lucky thet I still have the prior version on my other ipad. ### 1/5 — 👎👎👎👎👎 *2016-06-04, version 13.7.5* The free version is too expensive. You can't even play against anyone. ### 1/5 — السعودية *2015-04-03, version 13.7.5* هذا البرنامج لا يعمل dont buy it ### 1/5 — Not working *2014-10-16, version 13.6* The app is not working at all. Please, fix it. ### 1/5 — Not working with iOS 8 *2014-10-02, version 13.6* Not working properly with iOS 8 ! Waiting for an upgrade and also waiting for a reply from support ### 1/5 — Broken on iOS8 *2014-09-21, version 13.6* Just downloaded on iPad running iOS8. Broken. Would like to review it properly but I have just wasted my money. ### 1/5 — iOS 8 fail *2014-09-18, version 13.6* This app is glitched up and unusable with iOS 8. Waste of money program broke as soon as I updated to iOS8. It was so good for the few months I had it before the update, but now, it's bricked. ### 2/5 — OK, when it works *2019-01-07, version 13.8.2* This app crashes and freezes constantly. When it works it’s good. It doesn’t work most of the time... ### 2/5 — Good game; weak UX *2017-11-04, version 13.7.9* The UI of this app is not very elegant: 1. Inconsistent font usage. Most of the app is using a sans-serif font, but the names of the players in a serif font, and the opening book is in a courier fixed width font. 2. The board should be bigger. When playing a game, the priority is an immersive playing experience and the board should be as big as possible. But there is unnecessary wasted space here. It strikes me that when playing a game, the screen should be optimized for (a) board; (b) clocks; and (c) move list. Sure, resize these smaller if you turn on/off other features, but you should be able to make the game itself the dominant feature. Move the game controls aside. Let us remove the ELO rating views entirely. Minimize the chrome and focus on the game experience. 3. When you hide the opening book list, the game moves list should take up the whole screen, but it doesn't, and the little slider that lets you zip through the game quickly is sitting there, floating in the middle of the screen. Frankly, I'd suggest losing that slider altogether and let us click on the moves themselves. 4. The pop-up menus in the bottom are strange UX. First, that bottom row is a strange place to be showing menus at all. Second, if you click on one menu to show its popover and then try to click on another, the clicks on this bottom bar aren't recognized. This is especially poor UX because you frequently are searching for some menu option, not knowing which menu some feature is on, you'll click on one menu, not see it there, go to click on the next menu, and your tap isn't recognized. You have to tap somewhere to dismiss first popover menu before you can open another popover menu. Also, the presence of titles at the top of the popover menus is a very poor UI choice. 5. Elements are not always updated correctly. For example, I have my engine set at a particular ELO, but it says "2060" for the ELO on the screen. Likewise I had turned off "show captured material" feature, but when I started the app, it showed up again, only disappearing when I started a new game. There are tons of other issues in this UI, too. But let me say that, bottom line, I respect the game engine, but this app desperately needs a UI overhaul. In terms of core functionality, I was hoping that this would capture variations like the desktop app can. E.g. if I go back a few moves and try a different move, I'd like the option of keeping the old line as a variation. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Hobby Player *2026-07-14, version 13.8.9* I found for me the ability to learn from game playing increased with all the options using the colour codes for good to bad moves ### 5/5 — Great Teaching tool *2026-07-12, version 13.8.9* Enjoy not have to be linked to the internet. Unlike Webb based game platforms. Very tough to beat, but a learning experience. I have the latest versions of Chessbase and Fritz, and this is comparable to them. ### 5/5 — One of the best chess apps available *2026-04-10, version 13.8.9* I’ve been using HIARCS for many years now, and I have long considered it one of the very best chess apps I’ve ever used. This HD version for my iPad is exceptional! It has all the great features I’ve used for years, plus it looks great on my iPad’s screen. Well done as always! ### 5/5 — Perfect Chess Program *2026-02-14, version 13.8.9* This is everything you need in an AI chess program. Instant feed back from color coded dots and squares lets you know the weakness and strength of your planned move. Very easy to read on an iPad. Very well laid out on the screen. ### 5/5 — Best Chess App for iOS *2025-07-03, version 13.8.9* Great, simple, adjustable, customizable, no-subscription, no gimmicks or frills chess game. Never found a better chess game for iOS. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2025-04-04, version 13.8.9* The only I would change is the notation. They are to small and to coach advice is sometimes not that visible. Except that, great chess app. ### 5/5 — Enjoyable practice partner *2024-11-26, version 13.8.9* Playing against HIARCS on my iPad tablet is enjoyable. It makes small plausible mistakes (at reduced strength) and it makes moves at a natural pace according to the time available. ### 5/5 — Playing over a Millennium Board is the best ! *2024-03-12, version 13.8.9* Hiarcs playing with adaptative strength with updated books and coach advice by x or + on the board leds is a real nice feature. Thanks ### 5/5 — Amazing program *2023-05-11, version 13.8.9* As a kid starting with Chessmaster, I started playing chess with my father, eager to get better. I started playing chess master as I got older. I couldn’t find a program to play chess like I used to until I came across this one and old man. This one is amazing because it has the chess rating system and adaption mode which keeps up with your chess rating you’re able to win, 50-50, and get better and better. This one gets five stars and possibly the best chess program on the iPad. ### 5/5 — Hiarcs *2023-02-17, version 13.8.9* Superb program! --- *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 2026-08-08.*