# Mate in 1 Chess Puzzles — user reviews > 83 indexed App Store user reviews of Mate in 1 Chess Puzzles by Gano Technologies LLC, rated 4.90/5 from 41 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-1-chess-puzzles/id368403230/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-in-1-chess-puzzles/id368403230.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 38 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0 ## What do users think of Mate in 1 Chess Puzzles? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Great for beginners - 📈 Improves chess game - 💡 Helps recognize patterns - 🧠 Good for mental exercise - 📱 Easy to use interface - ⏱️ Quick practice anytime - 💰 Good value for price - 🎯 Effective for learning checkmates - ✨ Well-constructed puzzles - 📱 Works offline - 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Fun for family **Cons** - 🥱 Too easy for advanced players - 🔄 Repetitive puzzles - ⏳ Puzzles load slowly - 📱 Limited puzzle count - 📱 Interface can be clumsy **Commonly reported bugs** - App hangs and puzzles don't load - App freezes up - Issues after puzzle 50 **Most requested features** - Mode to answer in notation - More setups/puzzles - Expert stage with advanced moves - Ability to turn iPad sideways - Dark mode - Compete against friends with side-by-side times - Save previous times for progress tracking - Make successive games within each level harder - Display instances of mistakes made but solution found - Automatically move to the next puzzle ## Newest reviews (13 of 83) ### 5/5 — Works great! Very helpful! *2016-12-29* The app works wonderfully and this has been very helpful in helping me recognize various different patterns that I might have previously missed! ### 5/5 — Excellent! *2016-03-25, version 3.2* Great app for sharpening up your endgame process ### 5/5 — Simple Premise, Flawless Execution *2015-08-11* I'm a fair chess player, but I have a terrible endgame because I have trouble seeing mate possibilities. This app is perfect for me! The interface is clear and easy to use, and the puzzles, while easy mate-in-ones, are well-constructed from a variety of board positions. ### 5/5 — Obsessed *2015-08-06, version 3.2* Love this app. My chess game has improved since using it, plus it's just fun to play through the puzzles. ### 5/5 — Great *2015-06-06, version 3.2* Wonderful puzzles ### 5/5 — Chess *2015-03-12* Um excelente aplicativo, os gráficos são muito lindos ### 5/5 — Great learning tool *2014-11-22, version 3.2* The puzzles were fun and helped improve my chess game!! ### 5/5 — Nice app *2014-02-14, version 3.0* Helpful for beginner or someone,like me, returning to game after long layoff and needing a brush up. ### 5/5 — Fantastic learning tool *2014-02-02, version 3.0* This is a fantastic way to ease yourself into more complex chess playing. Cut straight to the chase and figure out the best way to set up a checkmate. ### 5/5 — Great *2013-12-27, version 2.7* Interesting ### 5/5 — Très bien *2013-04-23* Excellent pour apprendre les échecs à mon fils. ### 5/5 — Задачи на мат в 1 ход *2013-04-09, version 2.6* Задачи несложные, но интересные. Профессионалу, мне кажется, будет скучновато, но любителю или начинающему - самое то. В общем, однозначно 5+! P.S. Шестилетняя дочка в восторге! С удовольствием решает предложенные задачи ### 5/5 — Very well thought out and logical. *2013-03-26, version 2.6* Very well thought out and easy to use. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Lächerlich einfach *2014-02-09, version 3.0* Bin gnadenlos enttäuscht! Jede Aufgabe in wenigen Sekunden zu lösen, in Summe eine Viertelstunde "Spielspaß!" und dazu noch die Aufgaben sortiert nach unterschiedlichen Ansätzen (Matt durch Springer, Matt durch läufer, Rochade, Damentausch,...). Leider nicht mal die 89cent wert und wieder gelöscht. ### 2/5 — Good puzzles, when the puzzles actually load *2010-09-05, version 0* Too many times this app hangs and the puzzles don't load ### 3/5 — Easy *2014-06-23, version 3.0* This game is fun but not challenging also it is very repetitive in the same moves plz add an expert stage that adds moves like castling and the en passant ### 3/5 — 188 puzzles, some very very easy *2014-01-31* This is cute but there are only 188 puzzles and some of them are very very easy, including some where practically any move will work since White has a Q and 2Rs and other pieces against a lone K. Some puzzles are near duplicates of others -- same move, same idea, just a few pieces have been changed. I hope they update it with more puzzles. I used them all up in a about an hour of playing time. ### 3/5 — Mate in one *2013-06-09, version 2.7* Fine app ### 3/5 — Good but needs improved *2011-12-04* Mate in ones are so vital. Work on them. The format of this app makes it pretty clumsy. When you solve a puzzle you have to click back to the list scroll down and click the next one! Very cumbersome. With done updates it might be better. ### 3/5 — Enjoyable - Please fix five things *2011-09-15* It was worth it. I just played all 188 games between last night and tonight and as a novice (some intermediate) level experience, I'm glad I made this purchase. Please fix five things: Let me compete against a friend showing side by side times so we know who solved which puzzles faster Save my previous times so I can see my own progress. Make each successive game within each level harder. Some games were just too easy after some tricky ones. It was obvious it was not about my unique experiences playing chess but rather an obvious removal of difficulty. I know certain 'concepts' need to be ingrained but when you have the same setup and the same move for mate, changing only one non involved piece should not qualify it as a 'new game'! Lastly, can you display the instances where I made a mistake but then still found a solution? This would be good in measuring my progress. Thank you! ### 4/5 — Great little app. *2015-08-19, version 3.2* Ideal for filling the odd few minutes. Fun. ### 4/5 — Good for beginners *2014-11-05, version 3.1.1* I like the app. The goal is always "mate in 1". Sometimes I see the solution in 10 seconds, a few times in 4 minutes. It's a good training for a beginner. ### 4/5 — Simple fun diversion *2014-02-11, version 3.0* I can't say this makes me a better chess player, but I enjoy doing a couple of these puzzles before going to sleep. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great for beginners. *2025-07-20* I’m enjoying the app, some have proven to be a challenge. It be nice to find an app that had a mode that’d let me answer in notation rather than moving the pieces. Seems like it’d be helpful to be beginners. ### 5/5 — Awesome app! *2024-05-31, version 4.4* Awesome chess puzzle app! I got the bundle and they are all great but this is my favorite (as chess in one are little easier than the others). I’ve really improved since I started doing these. I find myself recognizing mates again and again in my games with doing these. I’ve used like chess.com or lichess and their puzzles before, but have gotten more out of this app than those by far. ### 5/5 — Fun and challenging! *2023-10-14* Would love more setups! ### 5/5 — Quick strategy anytime. *2021-01-03* I love anytime anywhere practicing these realistic strategies. It’s so rewarding to hear that tight little click for a piece moving. So far I love this app! ### 5/5 — Great *2020-11-13* Great teachings tool to improve your Chess game. ### 5/5 — Nice Selection of Puzzles *2020-11-07, version 4.2* As a beginner I think mate in 2 or more is beyond me but I enjoyed this. Puzzle 188 had me stumped. Solution only became obvious after I gave up. If I persevere with chess I may well come back and try the other apps in this series. ### 5/5 — Mate in 1 *2018-04-28* It improved my game, I noticed I patterns that I never considered before! ### 5/5 — Very Good For Refreshment Or Beginners *2017-07-10* Laid out very well, and organized by difficulty. Great for the price v ### 5/5 — Good practice! *2017-03-20, version 3.2.1* Good practice for chess beginner. ### 5/5 — Great! *2017-02-03* Works great for me! But I hope, in a future update that I will be able to turn my iPad sideways to use this app. --- *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.*