# Lazy Chess — Fewer Choices. More Fun!

> Chess game where players choose from two AI-selected moves. (iPhone/iPad app by Cinq-Mars Media.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lazy-chess/id1537358433 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Cinq-Mars Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/924648806)
- Category: Games, Education, Board, Puzzle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.37/5 from 67 App Store ratings · 18 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 35 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2021-01-26
- Data updated: 2026-08-20
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lazy-chess/id1537358433/reviews.md

## What is Lazy Chess?

Lazy Chess is a free, non-profit game created for casual players and enthusiasts alike, where players, at worst, make the second best move available to them. On average, there are more than 30 legal chess moves available to a player in a turn, creating vigintillions of possibilities throughout a game. Lazy Chess compresses that by having you choose only two in a given turn selected by Stockfish, the most robust chess engine in the world. The catch? You won’t know which move is the best! 

Learn and have fun while you compete against a highly skilled AI or online friends and random opponents. Unlock new themes and settings that can change how many options you choose from or the difficulty of the AI. Hone your chess skills while you move up in the leaderboards and play unique scenarios of famous board states provided from some of the world's most active grandmasters.

Lazy Chess is open source and available on GitHub. It was developed by Cinq-Mars Media, an educational non-profit with projects and games featured at E3, PAX and festivals worldwide.

## Key features

- Choose from two AI-selected moves
- Compete against AI or online friends
- Unlock new themes and settings
- Play unique chess scenarios
- Leaderboard rankings

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad Free + Full Game | $2.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 18)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lazy-chess/id1537358433/reviews.md

### 2/5 — I’m like a 600 on chess.com and even I’m smarter

*2021-08-31*

This games engine is awful even a beginner I can see how many opportunity’s the engine just ignores the moves provided are almost always no where near the bets moves you could make just in my latest game along rather than have my king take a rook saving my rook the engine decided to make my king runaway resulting in the loss of my rook extending the time the game took

### 3/5 — Location why…?

*2021-07-01*

Never really played chess before, but this game is pretty fun. It’s satisfying as a time-waster but I don’t really care about getting better at chess. 
Two stars off for sketchy ads and data policy. Why does a chess game app need my location? Trying to clear data harvesting (spyware) games off my phone, so now deleted.

### 5/5 — Online

*2021-04-28*

I need more players online.

### 1/5 — garbage

*2021-04-11*

ok

### 2/5 — Good concept but missed the mark

*2021-04-09*

Constantly while trying to play, it’ll bring up its own download page for no reason. Also all the features that are interesting are hidden behind “stars” aka premium currency. I don’t mind apps wanting money to be ad free, but asking me to watch 15 videos to unlock each individual feature is insane.

### 5/5 — Lazy Chess

*2021-03-31*

I really enjoyed Lazy Chess, as I am a relative novice at the game end enjoy having an unobtrusive ‘tutor’ to help improve my game.  I could probably go to individual web sites to garner the information that Lazy Chess provides, but it does provide that ‘lazy’ help that makes it so convenient.  I also like the idea of levels and modes to both provide additional challenges and give me a way of gauging my progress in improving my game.

### 5/5 — Great game to improve your chess skills!

*2021-03-31*

This game is great for all levels off chess players. I hadn’t played chess in years but this game allowed me to ease in and relearn the basic of the game before moving on to harder levels and increasing the difficulty. It is a lot of fun and a great way to get better at the game of chess!

### 5/5 — Favorite way to play chess

*2021-03-23*

This game makes chess fun and relaxing. Chess has always been a little stressful to me, and this has made it almost meditative. It's also just a great logic puzzle... highly reccomended!

### 5/5 — THANK YOU for this game!

*2021-02-27*

Lazy Chess let’s me play chess like I play crossword puzzles - it’s almost meditative. It’s the perfect mix of brain teaser and strategy. I find myself playing it all the time, but it doesn’t feel like empty calories or wasted time, because... well, it’s chess!

Simple idea, super well done.

### 3/5 — needs work for good players

*2021-02-24*

It's a neat idea and is sometimes fun. I decided to delete the app after having a winning position in an endgame with three passed pawns, but move after move your engine won't give me an option to push a pawn, and is instead only offering king moves that would eventually lead to a draw by repetition. This would be more fun for high level players if you had a better engine. Definitely a neat idea though.

## Frequently asked questions about Lazy Chess

### What is Lazy Chess?

Lazy Chess is a free, non-profit chess game designed for casual players and enthusiasts. It simplifies gameplay by presenting players with only two AI-selected moves to choose from each turn, making the game more accessible and fun.

### How does Lazy Chess make chess easier?

Instead of presenting all legal moves, the app uses the Stockfish chess engine to select two of the best available moves for you to choose from. This significantly reduces the complexity of each turn while still offering strategic depth.

### Can I play against other people?

Yes, you can compete against a highly skilled AI, online friends, or random opponents. The game also features leaderboards, allowing you to track your progress and climb the rankings.

### Is Lazy Chess free to play?

Lazy Chess is a free game. However, it does offer in-app purchases, which may include unlocking new themes and settings that can alter the number of options presented or the AI difficulty.

### What makes Lazy Chess unique?

Its core mechanic of offering only two AI-selected moves per turn sets it apart from traditional chess games. This approach aims to reduce decision paralysis and increase the fun factor, while still allowing players to learn and hone their skills through unique scenarios and competitive play.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.6 — 2021-03-22

Several bug fixes and stability improvements. Fixed an issue where the new openings engine interfered with online gameplay for some users.

### 1.5 — 2021-02-28

Introduction of a major new game mode along with significant bug fixes and performance enhancements. An overhauled opening system that allows for much more flexibility and a database where traditional or common openings can be analyzed in depth!

### 1.1 — 2021-02-09

We heard your feedback! Lots of tweaks including the ability to export to PGN, integration with lichess, updating advantage, the ability to manually tweak the AI and the introduction of all new modes of play! You can now also play as black! All this along with major stability and performance improvements.

### 1.0 — 2021-01-26

No release notes.

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All apps by Cinq-Mars Media: https://appshunter.io/developer/924648806

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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 2026-08-20.*