# Learn with Forward Chess — Chess Books & Tactics Training

> Interactive chess book reader with in-app purchases and subscriptions. (iPhone/iPad app by Forward Chess, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Forward Chess, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/543005912)
- Category: Books, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 334 App Store ratings · 123 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 188 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-02-19
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909/reviews.md

## What is Learn with Forward Chess?

Forward Chess is an Interactive reader of chess books. Play through the lines in the book, or try your own, it's like having a chess board and a chess book in the palm of your hand.

Forward Chess includes the ability to purchase over 100 chess eBooks through our In-App Store. Check it out. Our collection is growing weekly!

Forward Chess also contains the following subscription options
- ChessPublishing's monthly periodical for the latest in opening theory 
  - We offer a choice of 4 different auto-renewing subscriptions
    - 1 Section for 1 Year @ $19.99 USD
    - 3 Sections for 1 Year @ $39.99 USD
    - 6 Sections for 1 Year @ $69.99 USD
    - 12 Sections for 1 Year @ $99.99 USD    
  - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
  - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
  - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal
  - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase
  - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period
  - Links to Your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication.

Forward Chess takes your privacy seriously See our privacy policy here: https://forwardchess.com/privacy-policy and term of use here: https://forwardchess.com/terms-of-service

## Key features

- Interactive chess book reader
- Play through chess lines
- In-app chess eBook store
- Subscription for opening theory
- Tactics training

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Power of Pawns | $12.99 | one-time |
| Steps to Giant Improvement | $19.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual Chess Improvement | $19.99 | one-time |
| Ding Liren's Best Games | $22.99 | one-time |
| Chess Informant 158 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Winning Chess Middlegames 2 | $22.99 | one-time |
| My System: FastTrack Edition | $12.99 | one-time |
| Dream Moves | $22.99 | one-time |
| A Killer Guide to Attacking Chess | $25.99 | one-time |
| Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire | $19.99 | one-time |
| Simple Attacking Plans | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amateur to IM | $19.99 | one-time |
| The Complete Manual of Positional Chess | $19.99 | one-time |
| Positional Decision Making in Chess | $23.99 | one-time |
| Pump Up Your Rating | $23.99 | one-time |
| True Lies in Chess | Free | one-time |
| 100 Endgames You Must Know | $17.99 | one-time |
| My System | $13.99 | one-time |
| Chess Tactics from Scratch | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide | $23.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Learn with Forward Chess?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Great app for chess-book lovers
- 🚀 Easy to follow or analyze moves with the implemented chessboard
- 👍 Simple and effective interface
- 👍 Great to use on mobile device
- 👍 Larger board and text than Chessable
- 👍 Better value books
- 👍 Excellent customer support
- 👍 Convenient way to read chess books
- 👍 Allows engine analysis of positions and ability to check variations
- 👍 Ability to switch move controls to preferred side
- 👍 Increases speed of going through books
- 👍 Provides a clean interactive way to read books with moves linked to a board

**Cons**

- 💰 Books are a little expensive for digital purchases
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes occasionally
- 🐛 Loses user's place when reopening the app
- 🐛 Buggy when navigating between libraries and books
- 🐛 Analysis engine sometimes doesn't recognize castling possibilities
- 🐛 Inefficient software with unintuitive UI
- 🐛 Notifications are annoying and repeatedly enabled
- 🐛 Weak chess engine performance compared to other apps

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Login issues when changing devices
- Books not properly filing into libraries
- App crashing when trying to add books to libraries
- Losing current position when switching between full screen and normal view
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating through a book

**Most requested features**

- Allow users to upload their own book PDFs
- Implement spaced repetition learning program within books
- Improve search and filtering options in the book store
- Add more language support beyond English books
- Provide better syncing of purchases across devices
- Improve text formatting and readability
- Implement highlighting, bookmarking, and note-taking features

## Recent user reviews (10 of 123)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-with-forward-chess/id543005909/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Fantastique

*2026-06-12*

Fantastique,utile.

### 5/5 — Great app !

*2026-02-09*

This app is the perfect companion for chess-book lovers. We can easily follow or analyse moves with the implemented chessboard, which makes it easy when one doesn't have a real chess board at hand. 
The books are a little expensive for digital purchases though, but still worth it. Nice work 💯

### 5/5 — Best chess learning

*2026-01-30*

This is the best app to learn chess. Simple and effective interface. Great to use on mobile device. Download and use without connection. Larger board than chessable. Larger text than chessable. Better value books. Engine. Some nice free books. Excellent customer support.

### 5/5 — Genial

*2025-12-22*

Alles dabei,was Schach-Fan braucht!

### 5/5 — GOAT

*2025-10-19, version 1.37.3*

체서블보다 좋음

### 5/5 — Awesome App

*2025-08-25*

I have been using forward chess for a couple of years now and really liking it. Their library keeps growing. Some months ago I had emailed them and requested if a Dover book “Better Chess for Average Players” could be added. I received a reply stating that they would look into my request. After that I didn’t think it would materialise. Today I see they have added the title to their library and another really good Dover book as well. I bought both !!

### 4/5 — Great app but what engine?

*2025-06-23*

Really enjoying the app but I was wondering what engine is analyzing the game?

### 5/5 — Excellent App

*2025-04-10*

Easy to use, and can do a space repetition traning , with move trainer, sometimes the app gets stuck in move trainer mode forcing to close the app and start again, annoying.

### 3/5 — Great content, mediocre software

*2025-04-09*

The content on this is every bit as good as chessable. I am currently working on my first purchase, "is this move safe". An excellent book. The problem is the software is difficult to use and very inefficient. For example, I always want to be in quiz mode, where the solutions are not shown. Sometimes for no reason, I am put into read mode, where the answers are shown. The only way to fix that is to scroll all the way up to the top of the course, which is already a fair distance, even though I'm still in chapter 1, press the quiz mode button, and then scroll all the way down to find where I was. I tried every other button, all of which are very unintuitive in my opinion as a former software developer, and there is no other way to do this. Also, when I reopen the software, it usually loses where I left off, and I have to go hunt for it. I would call chessable professional software, and this relatively amateurish.

### 5/5 — Favorite Chess App

*2025-03-02, version 1.36.1*

The most bang for your buck period.

## Frequently asked questions about Learn with Forward Chess

### What does Forward Chess do?

Forward Chess is an interactive reader for chess books. It allows you to play through chess lines directly within the book, effectively combining a chess board and a chess book in one application. You can also explore your own moves and analyze positions.

### How can I get chess books on Forward Chess?

You can purchase over 100 chess eBooks directly through the app's In-App Store. The collection is continuously updated with new titles being added weekly, offering a wide variety of chess literature.

### What are the subscription options?

Forward Chess offers subscription options for ChessPublishing's monthly periodical, focusing on the latest opening theory. You can choose from subscriptions for 1, 3, 6, or 12 sections, with annual pricing ranging from $19.99 to $99.99 USD.

### Is Forward Chess free to use?

The core application is free to download and use as an interactive reader. However, you can purchase additional chess eBooks through the in-app store and subscribe to periodicals for ongoing content.

### Who is Forward Chess for?

This app is designed for chess players of all levels who want a convenient and interactive way to study chess books, practice tactics, and stay updated on opening theory. It's ideal for those who enjoy learning from chess literature.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.38.13 — 2026-08-27

Improved error handling and messaging

### 1.38.12 — 2026-08-20

* Minor fixes

### 1.38.11 — 2026-08-06

* Added new Publisher logos
* Dark/Sepia theme fixes

### 1.38.10 — 2026-06-01

* Fixes bug where the promoted Queen would teleport to a8 square (Thanks x2 Adam!)
* Fixes bug where flip board would show random arrows (after using the chess engine)
* Fixes bug where Guess the Move would not work reliably when the King is in check

### 1.38.9 — 2026-05-27

* Fixes dark mode issue in some books (Thanks Adam)
* You should get notified when a book/magazine is added to your library

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## Related topics

[forward chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/forward-chess) · [learn with forward chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/learn-with-forward-chess) · [slow german](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/slow-german)

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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 2026-09-02.*