# Next Chess Move — Powerful chess move calculator

> Powerful chess move calculator with multiple engines and optional cloud hardware. (iPhone/iPad app by Next Chess Move LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-chess-move/id595697977 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Next Chess Move LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/458768443)
- Category: Games, Board, Strategy
- Price: $2.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 124 App Store ratings · 76 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 131 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-02-17
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-chess-move/id595697977/reviews.md

## What is Next Chess Move?

NCM is a powerful chess calculator that runs Stockfish 17.1 directly on your device. The app also includes free access to a growing list of engines running on NCM's remote single core CPU hardware:

• Stockfish latest official releases and development builds
• Lc0 (all official networks and several contrib networks)
• Alexandria
• Arasan
• asmFish
• Berserk
• Black Marlin
• Caissa
• Cfish
• Clover
• Combusken
• CorChess
• Counter
• Defenchess
• Demolito
• Devre
• Ethereal
• Fire
• Frozenight
• GNU Chess
• Halogen
• Horsie
• Igel
• Koivisto
• Laser
• Mantissa
• Marvin
• Minic
• Nalwald
• Nemorino
• Obsidian
• OpenTal
• Patricia
• Pawn
• PlentyChess
• Rice
• RubiChess
• Seer
• ShashChess
• Smallbrain
• Starzix
• Stash
• Stormphrax
• Sunfish
• Tucano
• Vajolet2
• Velvet
• Viridithas
• Wasp
• Weiss
• Winter
• Xiphos
• Zahak

The optional NCM Pro in-app purchase provides one year access to powerful hardware and features that significantly enhance the strength of calculations:

• Ryzen 7950X 16 CPU-core servers
• RTX 2080 GPUs for LcZero
• 6-man syzygy tablebases on SSD drives

## Key features

- On-device Stockfish 17.1
- Free remote engine access
- Large selection of chess engines
- Optional Pro upgrade
- Access to powerful cloud hardware
- GPU acceleration for LcZero

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $2.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NCM Pro | $18.99 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #51 in Top Paid · Board (US App Store)
- #142 in Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

## What do users think of Next Chess Move?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Great tool for analysis
- 👍 Helpful for learning chess
- 👍 Strongest engines available
- 👍 Improves game understanding
- 👍 Convenient mobile access
- 👍 Good for 'what if' scenarios
- 👍 Useful for studying
- 👍 Clear and crisp display
- 👍 Well worth the cost (Pro)
- 👍 Advanced calculations (Pro)
- 👍 Supports multiple engines (Pro)
- 👍 Quick and dedicated support
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Simplistic to utilize
- 👍 Premium feel and modern look
- 👍 Highly recommended
- 👍 Super helpful for beating friends
- 👍 Tracks moves and tests correctness
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Terrific tutor
- 👍 Offers imaginative solutions
- 👍 Amazing program for improvement
- 👍 User-friendly and excellent teacher
- 👍 Functions perfectly
- 👍 Makes game better
- 👍 Bang on move calculations
- 👍 Exceptional app
- 👍 Amazing for knowing moves
- 👍 No ads or silly features
- 👍 Better analysis than alternatives
- 👍 Position analyzer is simple
- 👍 Faster board setup
- 👍 Long-term consequences in moves
- 👍 Excellent for learning strategies
- 👍 Handy

**Cons**

- 🐛 Neglected and buggy mess
- 🐛 Critical bugs break game
- 🐛 Outdated and poorly maintained UI
- 🐛 Feels abandoned while charging
- 🐛 Waste of money
- 🐛 Makes moves for wrong color randomly
- 🐛 Poorly made
- 🐛 Good for new players, bad for experienced
- 🐛 App doesn't turn on
- 🐛 Update has challenges
- 🐛 Cannot play anything
- 🐛 Terrible UI
- 🐛 Horrendous UI
- 🐛 Trouble using analysis tool
- 🐛 App is pretty buggy
- 🐛 Deletes pieces randomly
- 🐛 Subscription gone after payment
- 🐛 No option to restore purchase
- 🐛 Every suggested move is a blunder
- 🐛 Error response most of the time
- 🐛 Frustrating
- 🐛 Awkward landscape mode on iPad
- 🐛 False advertising on price
- 🐛 Charged more than advertised
- 🐛 Subscription needed after purchase
- 🐛 App is the same as webpage
- 🐛 Login doesn't work for extra servers
- 🐛 Moves are clumsy
- 🐛 Gives away queen or causes check
- 🐛 Poor predictor
- 🐛 Horrible predictions
- 🐛 Illegal move issues with PGN/FEN
- 🐛 Castling not handled correctly in PGN
- 🐛 Old iOS version design
- 🐛 Hard to work with ergonomics
- 🐛 Algorithm inconsistency
- 🐛 UI could be better
- 🐛 Cannot delete saved games
- 🐛 Slow calculations on older devices
- 🐛 Crushes when copying/pasting PGN
- 🐛 Not good customer experience

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Critical bugs that break the game (e.g., same color pieces moving consecutively)
- App doesn't turn on
- Update has challenges
- Cannot play anything
- LC0 version 0.30 with Networks Family T81 causes 'engine disconnected' error
- App is pretty buggy
- App decides to delete a piece randomly
- Subscription is gone after payment
- No option to restore purchase
- Every move suggested is a blunder
- Error response most of the time
- App crushes when copying or pasting PGN
- Illegal move issues with PGN/FEN
- Castling not handled correctly in PGN
- Algorithm inconsistency (doesn't play the same move for the exact same play)
- Login doesn't work for extra servers
- UI could be better
- Cannot find an option to delete saved games

**Most requested features**

- Fix critical bugs
- Update UI
- Release a proper update
- Maintain the app properly
- Update to current stockfish 17
- Add self-play mode with different engines
- Add Komodo latest version
- Fix LC0 issues with T81 network family
- Show a few candidate options
- Add feature to use screenshot/photo of board
- Add arrow or directional lines for best move
- Make it more didactic
- Add premium features for paid users
- Add option to play engine vs engine
- Add some themes
- Add analysis arrows
- Copy full PGN when playing engine vs engine
- Add database for openings for free
- Add iPad version
- Allow landscape format on iPad
- Increase analysis time beyond 30 seconds
- Add option to switch turns after calculating a move
- Improve ergonomics
- Name boards and show names
- Add instructions on how to use
- Option to delete saved games
- Improve UI
- Handle illegal moves and castling correctly in PGN/FEN
- Allow castling
- Add feedback and suggestions
- Cut and paste FEN
- Automatic play of calculated move
- Print positions after moves or games
- Flip board only for current board

## Recent user reviews (10 of 76)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-chess-move/id595697977/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Awesome Tool

*2026-06-09, version 5.2.0*

Both versions are great but the paid is supremely advanced

### 1/5 — Worst app that include bugs

*2026-04-26*

I paid for this app expecting a functional, maintained product, and what I’ve gotten instead is a neglected, buggy mess. It’s honestly frustrating how little effort has gone into fixing even the most basic issues.

There are still critical bugs that completely break the game, like the same colour pieces moving consecutively when it’s clearly the other player’s turn. That’s not a minor issue, that’s a fundamental failure. How is something this obvious still not fixed?

On top of that, the UI feels outdated and poorly maintained. It looks like this app has been abandoned while still charging users money.

If you’re going to keep this as a paid app, then act like it and maintain it properly. Right now, it feels like you’re taking people’s money without delivering a working product. That’s not just disappointing, it’s unacceptable.

Fix the bugs, update the UI, and release a proper update immediately. If you’re not willing to support this app, then stop charging for it.

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2025-12-09, version 5.1.1*

This thing makes moves for the wrong colour randomly no matter what you do. Poorly made DONT buy

### 5/5 — Best one

*2025-09-21*

Best ncm ever

### 1/5 — Good if you are new I guess

*2025-03-25, version 5.0.4*

If you’re playing against anyone with the slightest idea how to play. This apps a good way to help you lose

### 5/5 — Melhor app

*2025-03-07*

O melhor aplicativo de xadrez pra estudar. Perfeito!

### 1/5 — You know what’s great?

*2024-10-17*

If the app actually turns on. Your update seems to have some challenges. The fact that I can’t play anything drops this significantly.

### 4/5 — Seems good, but update?

*2024-10-12, version 4.4.0*

It’s great, but been 6 months since an update. When will it be updated to the current stockfish 17?

### 5/5 — Self play

*2024-08-19, version 4.4.0*

It would be good if the next update had a self play mode where you pick 2 different engines to play each other i.e Stockfish and Leela chess zero on the same app also please add Komodo the latest version as well

### 1/5 — (Update   May 2024) Same issue! LC0 version 0.30 with Networks Family T81

*2024-05-26, version 4.4.0*

Please, fix. I reported via you support email and nobody had taken care of. If you can use the récente T81 network family, makes LC0 useless. Error message is after downloading the network: “engine disconnected”.

NOBODY IN SUPPORT RESPONDS, JUST GHOSTING.

## Frequently asked questions about Next Chess Move

### What does Next Chess Move do?

Next Chess Move is a powerful chess move calculator that runs advanced chess engines, including Stockfish 17.1, directly on your device. It also provides access to a wide array of other engines running on remote hardware for comprehensive analysis.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include on-device Stockfish 17.1, free access to numerous remote chess engines, and an optional Pro upgrade. The Pro upgrade offers access to powerful cloud hardware like Ryzen CPUs and RTX GPUs for significantly enhanced calculation strength.

### How much does Next Chess Move cost?

The app is free to download and use, offering on-device calculations and free access to many remote engines. An optional in-app purchase, NCM Pro, provides one year of access to enhanced hardware and features for a fee.

### What kind of chess engines are available?

The app supports Stockfish (latest official and development builds), Lc0 (with various networks), and a large selection of other engines such as Alexandria, Arasan, asmFish, Berserk, and many more, offering diverse analytical capabilities.

### Who is this app for?

This app is designed for chess players of all levels, from beginners to advanced players, who want to analyze chess positions, study games, and improve their tactical and strategic understanding using powerful computational engines.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.2.0 — 2026-02-02

- Upgrading to Stockfish 18

### 5.1.1 — 2025-07-14

- Adding link to password reset
- Upgrading dependencies

### 5.1.0 — 2025-04-17

- Upgrading to Stockfish 17.1
- Updating list of remote engines

### 5.0.4 — 2025-01-10

- Adding iPad support

### 5.0.3 — 2024-12-23

- Restored option for 100ms thinktime
- Increased tappable area for history buttons
- Bugfix: make SAN setting take effect immediately

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## Related topics

[just move chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/just-move-chess) · [ncm](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ncm)

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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 2026-09-09.*