# Pulsar Chess Engine — Multilevel Chess Program

> Chess engine with multiple variants and adjustable AI difficulty. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Adams.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Michael Adams](https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896)
- Category: Games, Board, Puzzle
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 12 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Spanish
- Released: 2014-04-10
- Data updated: 2026-07-26
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447/reviews.md

## What is Pulsar Chess Engine?

The Pulsar Chess Engine plays Chess and six variants all with multiple levels. The variants are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Loser's, Atomic, Three Checks and Giveaway.  Rules included in-app.  In addition, there is also a review mode to look at the user's log file with analysis available for non variants. 10 game collections of classic and modern master games are included to look at including Kasparov, Fischer, Carlsen, Capablanca and Morphy 1858 collections. These collections and the log file are searchable.

 Pulsar values mobility and active positions. In app there is an article with more on its playing style and how to train against it. With the variants, each has its own style. Chess960, Three Checks and Crazyhouse are the more chess like variants and adoptable to learn to play for anyone with interest. The rules of all games are in app. 

Pulsar has levels of play from beginner too advanced. Games with a time control are the hardest though Pulsar doesn't call the player's time. The time is more to handicap Pulsar's strength, but users will have a clock and can see if it's gone negative if they want to play the time control. 

The game button - configure game menu item, lets the user control the variant and difficulty. It defaults to Chess at Easy(lowest level) but remembers the current settings when the App restarts. There are choices of pieces and board color schemes. The Pulsar program was originally developed by me for computers starting in 1998 and came to mobile for the first time in 2014. 

Pulsar's board is accessible to the blind using Voice Over, a screen reader. Tap on a square and it will say whats on it and double tap to move or choose from three move methods. A screen reader can normally read anything with text like a button, but a board is a collection of images. To make it accessible, text must be returned to Voice Over when a tap is in the area of a square. 

Pulsar began as a chess program and later learned variants. It ran extensively on two servers for many years both at chess and variants. The ratings on the board reflect strength I saw in rated play on handicapped bots. They are not 100% exact but generalizations I made from the various bots I ran at different settings.

If in the new game selector, Play vs. Computer is unchecked the user can move for both sides. This is to allow two people at same location to use the App as a board for a game and have the app enforce move legality and results for whatever variant is selected.

## Key features

- Plays 7 chess variants
- Adjustable AI difficulty levels
- Game logging and review
- Master game collections
- Crafty engine analysis
- VoiceOver accessibility

## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Klasse Schachapp

*2026-04-10*

Macht Spaß und ist abwechslungsreich.
Genau richtig für eine schnelle Partie zwischendurch.

### 3/5 — Basic and ok

*2024-07-12*

Limited features. Like the book availablility. However, I beat it with easy, set at 2000. No way it was playing at that strength.

Email games does not work. ????

### 5/5 — Simple yet powerful

*2023-08-04*

I really like the UI as it is 2D. The games are also adjustable for difficulty level. Really love this.

**Developer response:** I"m glad you like that. I think the adjustable levels for the variants like crazyhouse, atomic and losers as well as chess is what makes it fun There is an update out now with flip as the main feature in review mode.

### 5/5 — Fun app

*2023-03-13*

Feels great to go up against another chess engine. I am really enjoying the app.

### 5/5 — Game works and is fun

*2022-09-25*

I played the iPad version of this, on my iPad. The game worked very well. I enjoyed it. It would be nice if the game would tell me when my king is in check. I thought that the game had frozen. In fact, my king was in check. It is a fun and worthwhile game on the iPad.

Suggestions to the Author:

1.  Please create a “Baby” level.  “Easy” is too hard!  Your game is relentless.  It covers every piece that it advances.

2.  When an enemy piece moves, please make this happen slowly.  Your enemy pieces move so quickly that I can’t tell what happened.  This is especially irksome when I think the enemy captured one of my pieces.

3.  Please tell me when I’m in “check”.  

4.  A clearer statement of “check mate” would be helpful.

Thank you.

### 4/5 — Good, but a little weak

*2022-06-19*

Hmmm... it blunderes mate in 2

**Developer response:** By default its at the easiest level. If you go to the Game menu in lower left and choose new game, you can set it to difficult and it wont blunder into shallow mates. There's 8 levels total.

### 5/5 — Excellent for Chess960 and other variants!

*2021-12-01*

A nice surprise was when you win at a higher difficulty level it unlocks example professional player classical games.

### 5/5 — Perfekt Varianten gibt es Doch 5 Sterne.

*2021-09-09*

Ich habe ungefähr 2000 Eli auf Atomic Schach und ich stehe mit dem Computer 1-7. Sehr stark.

**Developer response:** Tippen Sie unten links auf das Spielmenü. Wählen Sie "Neues Spiel". Aus der neuen Spielansicht können Sie Ihre Variante auswählen und nicht nur Schach haben.

### 5/5 — Good game and engine

*2021-08-21*

I am enjoying playing this app after the recent update. The features are simple and easy to use and everything I want from a computer sparring partner. On issue I found is with the PGN, especially after queen promotions. In one file after 48…b2b1=Q, every subsequent move was listed as a pawn move even if a piece moved, and every black move had =Q, for example 49…f7f6=Q. Also, I try not to use undo/revert move feature, but it would good to have those moves recorded in braces.

**Developer response:** I thought it was a good idea for people's future self to know if they used undo/revert in a log file game.  For now I add "unrated" in latest update to game string in games view if retract move was used.  Like "Pulsar Chess Easy unrated". First two moves can still be undone without that being added to let people change the opening.  I may have to update it later if people are confused because we don't actually rate. games, but for now i thought that was easier to read than adding something like 'retract move used".  Stuff with moves and problems with move display has to wait for now.  Maybe at some point in future the actual moves with retract move can be marked.

### 1/5 — Pulsar cheats

*2021-04-03*

When it moves to take a piece it will take an extra piece.

**Developer response:** If you were playing the Atomic Chess variant, the rules allow capturing of surrounding pieces as well except pawns.

## Frequently asked questions about Pulsar Chess Engine

### What chess variants does Pulsar offer?

Pulsar offers six chess variants in addition to standard chess: Chess960, Crazyhouse, Losers, Atomic, Three Checks, and Giveaway. The rules for each variant are included within the app.

### How difficult is the AI in Pulsar?

Pulsar features adjustable levels of play from beginner to advanced, with its maximum strength around Expert. The AI values mobility and active positions, and an in-app article details its playing style.

### Can I review my past games in Pulsar?

Yes, games played that have a result or resignation are logged and can be reviewed. This feature allows you to analyze your gameplay and learn from your mistakes.

### Does Pulsar have offline play capabilities?

The Pulsar Chess Engine is designed for offline play, allowing you to enjoy games against the AI without an internet connection. This makes it a convenient option for on-the-go gaming.

### Is Pulsar accessible for visually impaired users?

Yes, Pulsar's board is accessible to the blind using Voice Over, a screen reader. Users can tap on squares to hear their contents and use double-tap or other methods to make moves.

### What is the price of Pulsar Chess Engine?

Pulsar Chess Engine is a paid application, available for $0.99. This one-time purchase grants access to all features and variants.

### How often is Pulsar Chess Engine updated?

The latest version of Pulsar Chess Engine is 2.27, last updated on October 28, 2025. The app was originally released on April 10, 2014, indicating consistent development over time.

### Can two people play on the same device using Pulsar?

Yes, if 'Play vs. Computer' is unchecked in the new game selector, users can move for both sides. This allows two people at the same location to use the app as a board, with the app enforcing move legality and results for the selected variant.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.45 — 2026-07-18

Fixed crazyhouse game logging where the player had black. Previously playback broke after the first drop. 
Fix to highlight the last move after a castle move in chess960.

### 2.40 — 2026-06-30

When viewing game collections, can now filter games by search term

### 2.30 — 2026-05-13

Added two classic game collections to the existing, Botvinnik and Karpov. Users who have already installed the extra PGN/games can delete it and have the option to reinstall with the new collections.

### 2.27 — 2025-10-28

Crash Fix

### 2.25 — 2025-09-04

Added "Show Game Data" to Game menu when viewing games

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## More apps by Michael Adams

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All apps by Michael Adams: https://appshunter.io/developer/743520896

## Related topics

[pulsar chess engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/pulsar-chess-engine)

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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 2026-07-26.*