# Magnus Trainer - Train Chess — user reviews > 413 indexed App Store user reviews of Magnus Trainer by Chess.com, rated 4.80/5 from 12,671 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnus-trainer-train-chess/id1097863089/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnus-trainer-train-chess/id1097863089.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 10,548 · 4★ 1,710 · 3★ 221 · 2★ 61 · 1★ 131 ## What do users think of Magnus Trainer? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Well-structured lessons - 👍 Clear and informative - 👍 Helpful for beginners to masters - 🚀 Improves chess skills quickly - 👍 Engaging and entertaining **Cons** - ⏱️ Strict time limits on exercises - 🐛 Puzzle engine only accepts one solution - 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes - 🔀 Inability to skip lessons and progress at own pace - 🔀 Lack of option to practice without time pressure **Commonly reported bugs** - Pieces disappearing during games - Moves not recognized by the engine - Crashes on loading lessons **Most requested features** - Option to view solution when failing puzzles - Ability to customize chess board and piece design - More organized and structured content - Integrated chess game mode to apply learned skills - Progress sync across multiple devices ## Newest reviews (17 of 413) ### 4/5 — Fun app *2026-05-24, version 1.19.16* The skills that make you a better player, especially if you are into blitz games, are gamified. It's great fun. The app is a bit glitchy and the games are light on explanation. The help and support functions are nonexistent. But it's just you against the app, so you can eventually figure it out and move on. I think I play better now than I did before I started using the app. I think I visualize the board better. For the cost of this app, I hope so. ### 2/5 — Subscription based *2026-05-16, version 1.19.16* Expensive way to buy a chess course. A one off payment would have been sufficient. ### 4/5 — Good but still needs some work *2026-05-01, version 1.19.16* I’ve struggled to learn how to play chess, and this is the first app I’ve been able to understand…mostly. Once you get to learn the pawn, the game suddenly adds in pieces to avoid or capture without noting it or reminding you of their movement patterns. To a total newbie, this was immediately chaos. The checkmate lesson/practice was essentially impossible. Too many pieces to keep track of right as the knowledge is still fresh. It was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool after a 15 min swimming lesson. The pieces should’ve had a lot more practice that gradually introduced obstacles, and the checkmate level should’ve stayed much simpler for that first lesson. Also, I find it off-putting that the developer has his face everywhere, as well as his own games and moves as examples, as well as a way of writing the lessons that is absolutely giving narcissist. Listen, I get that you’re good at chess but you don’t have to center that in your app design. Make it about the users, not yourself. Lastly, there’s a huge lag when you tap the lesson levels, it takes about 10 seconds to actually load. I’ve only gotten through the piece lessons so far, but I do appreciate that I’ve learned more about chess with this app than any other. I hope it continues to be helpful! ### 3/5 — Broken Feedback link *2026-04-06, version 1.19.16* The Feedback link is broken, probably since Chess.com now distributes the app. It appears that everyone believes the app to be perfect and any feedback would be a waste. I wonder how long it will take Chess.com to add advertising to this app. ### 4/5 — Decent content, but dead app *2026-03-27, version 1.19.16* There are a few bug in this app that don’t let you progress properly. It doesn’t seem to be actively maintained anymore and when you try to contact support you get an error message. Even so, good content in digestible lessons that would be valuable to a beginner. Fun mini games that help with understanding strategy. ### 3/5 — Adds(kinda) *2026-03-02, version 1.19.16* I like it but it never gives you an opportunity to test what you have learned in a game and adds always keep popping up like buy premium magnus trainer ### 5/5 — Дорогие разработчики *2026-02-16* Классное приложение для обучения начинающих. Спасибо☕️ ### 4/5 — Great! Needs some bugs fixed *2026-02-11, version 1.19.16* I really like this app so far as someone who knows the basics of chess, but wants to improve their tactics. However, I have run into the app shutting off randomly and I cannot make an account at all; it seems that they do not have a help desk either. ### 5/5 — Genuinely impressed, 100/10 well worth the time and money *2026-02-06, version 1.19.16* Honestly, this is probably the most instructive chess app there is. I have the platinum membership on chess.com, I have pocket chess, I have books, nothing has made me feel like I’m “seeing the game” like this app. The games are a bit tacky, but they’re fun, I almost never get the “figure out the right move” on the first try but it gives me the chance to do it over again and I’ve learned a lot about rook activation in the end game, as well as what pawns to target. I don’t know how much Magnus actually had to do with this, but it’s a great app and if o could tell people to only buy a premium for one chess app it would be this one ### 5/5 — Excelente! Mas não tem mais atualizações. *2026-01-31* 4 anos sem atualizar. ### 5/5 — Muito bom, sou iniciante e eu gostei bastante desse jogo É MARA 👉🏻 (maravilhoso) *2026-01-13* Ótimo muito super recomendo 👍🏻 ### 5/5 — la mejor aplicación *2026-01-12, version 1.19.16* facil de aprender, muy organizado y profesional ### 5/5 — Оплата *2026-01-11* Отклоняет платёжную информацию. Не понятно как оплатить полную версию ### 5/5 — Супер *2026-01-09* Уроки огонь ### 5/5 — Очень удобное и понятное приложение для таких начинающих как я.мне очень понравилось хоть я и прошла *2026-01-08* Немного ### 5/5 — Melhor app de chess *2026-01-06* Muitos educativos em xadrez, vasto repertório de recursos, trilhas de aprendizado maravilhosas. Fora a interface do app muito agradavel e intuitiva. Estou adorando. ### 5/5 — The best chess learn app *2026-01-02* I like this app ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Poor graphics *2026-06-29, version 1.19.16* The design of the pieces makes them very difficult to distinguish. Additionally the functionality to save progress doesn’t work ### 1/5 — Broken and Buggy *2026-04-28, version 1.19.16* Can’t make an account and keep getting errors. ### 1/5 — Very buggy and weird chess board and set *2026-02-11, version 1.19.16* Didn’t like it, buttons don’t work and the chess set is very awkward ### 1/5 — Too buggy *2025-12-03, version 1.19.16* When I started playing, I noticed each lesson took a moment to load after tapping instead of just opening immediately, but decided to proceed regardless. I later found that other features of the app had issues as well. At a certain point, it suggests you make an account to save progress. The “sign in with Apple” option doesn’t let you select it, the Facebook option says it’s not supported or something like that—even though you’re meant to add friends through Facebook. I managed to actually make an account using my email, but after I completed this, I was closed out of the app. Additionally, there was an option to add a profile picture for the account and there was no way to choose a photo from camera roll, so the only means of adding a pfp was to take a picture with the camera which I thought was strange. ### 1/5 — Paid membership doesn’t work *2025-09-12* Despite buying the membership purchase for a year no member ship lesson are opening and it is constantly asking for buying new membership. When you click on support the website is not having any support contact ### 1/5 — Forgot Password *2025-09-07* Forgot Password option not working. ### 1/5 — No longer supporting *2025-07-23, version 1.19.16* Complete ripoff seems to have been abandoned link to support is dead so good luck with that ### 1/5 — Broken *2025-06-22, version 1.19.16* Game is literally broken. Links don’t work. Tapping options in lessons doesn’t work. Text written by AI and makes no sense. ### 1/5 — зависла *2025-04-18* игра просто зависла на этапе изучения мата, игра против ойвинда хагберга в 2001. ни одну фигуру не получается передвинуть, дальше не даёт пролистнуть. удаляю. ### 1/5 — Vraiment décevant… *2024-01-21* L’appli est bien construite mais par contre c’est très vite lassant à cause de certains exercices inutiles… les leçons sont intéressantes mais plutôt que de nous imposer des exercices qui ne font pas progresser ça serait beaucoup mieux d’avoir une mise en situation devant un échiquier avec une vraie partie et où le but serait d’approfondir les différentes techniques et de pouvoir les maîtriser. Je vois pas l’intérêt des mini jeux où on doit attraper des coquillages… nan mais sérieusement! Ça va bien 5min pour apprendre les bases mais après faut rentrer dans le concret… et y’a ça à toutes les leçons! Y’en a marre au bout d’un moment… et quand dans un leçon on nous propose « joue ton coup » si on se trompe il faut une explication de pourquoi notre choix n’est pas bon… Bref… Magnus c’est peut être un bon joueur d’échecs mais c’est un mauvais prof… ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Excellent teaching and training app *2026-07-15, version 1.19.16* For years I have wanted to be coached in chess and up to now I could not find a way that I could afford. This app fulfills that need and also gives me someone to play,since I have no one close who plays. How often do you get the opportunity to play the master. Thank you Magnus! ### 5/5 — Best Investment *2026-07-12* I practised every day, and my pattern recognition improved quite a lot. Tactics Visibility increased. I was able to visualise properly, and it also dramatically improved my understanding of Chess positions. ### 5/5 — Use this to get better at chess *2026-06-21, version 1.19.16* Very good to get better at chess ### 5/5 — Great lessons *2026-04-30, version 1.19.16* I have been learning a lot and am improving. I’m a beginner and find the different levels quite challenging. The only glitch has been trying to create an account. For weeks that part of the app,has been down. ### 5/5 — Bom app👍 *2026-04-28* Muito bom o app. simples porém consegue nos fazer evoluir ### 5/5 — Lovely hubby *2026-04-20, version 1.19.16* Good ### 5/5 — Очень хорошо!!! *2026-03-30* Очень хорошо!!! ### 5/5 — Стильные шахматы *2026-03-28* Обожаю именно этот тренажер шахмат за визуальный стиль. Каждое упражнение оформленно с фантазией. ### 5/5 — Muito bom! *2026-03-23* Aconselho! ### 5/5 — Ryuko *2026-03-23, version 1.19.16* Great app but can’t afford it --- *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 2026-09-10.*