# Pulsar Chess Engine — user reviews

> 25 indexed App Store user reviews of Pulsar Chess Engine by Michael Adams, rated 4.30/5 from 12 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-chess-engine/id839640447.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 8 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 1

## Newest reviews (5 of 25)

### 5/5 — Awesome sparring partner

*2015-02-06*

Im a regular chess player approx 1700 uscf and I find pulsars style of play on the lower levels quit amusing and challenging. Its really a great training tool for beginners + its free. 

The cons: a few bug here and there but if you e-mail the developer he is quick to respond and fixes up the issues.

I gave it 5 stars because I find the app highly addicting. 

-David

### 5/5 — Houdini

*2014-11-03*

This is the best chess app with a very powerful Houdini chess engine installed. Nice work.

### 4/5 — Cool

*2014-08-04, version 1.1*

Fun chess games

### 5/5 — Wonderful Variety

*2014-08-02*

Fun chess app that features a variety of variants. Wonderful considering no other chess app on the App Store has any chess variants

### 4/5 — Fun

*2014-04-10*

Crazyhouse is good fun so it’s easy to look past the rough interface.  Give it a try!

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 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.

### 1/5 — Needs improvement

*2020-08-30, version 1.90*

Design and graphics are basic. There should be an option of not showing last move

### 1/5 — Needs work

*2017-06-17, version 1.1*

Lazy design. Needs a lot of improvement. Ascii buttons, fixed width fonts, really?

### 1/5 — Garbage

*2014-08-11*

This is probably the most garbage chess app on the market. It crashed and crashed. When it didn't crash the engine would not have moved. I want to ask the author why did you bother to waste your and my time on this rubbish?

### 2/5 — Macht keinen Spaß

*2021-02-14*

Unübersichtlich, keine schöne GUI. Spielstärke ist Hash!? Keine Ahnung, warum kann man die Einstellung nicht "Spielstärke" nennen?

**Developer response:** Die Hash-Größe ist nicht die einzige Einstellung der Spielstärke. In
der unteren linken Ecke der App ist der Button, um eine neue Partie zu
starten. In der darauf folgenden Ansicht kann man die Schwierigkeit
einstellen.           Update: Die App wurde aktualisiert. Über der Hash-Einstellung steht nun dieser Text: Mit „Partie konfigurieren“ im Partien-Menü können Sie die Schwierigkeit oder Spielvariante festlegen. Die Hash-Einstellung selbst ist die verwendete RAM-Speichergröße und gilt nur für zeitgesteuerte Spiele.

### 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. ????

### 3/5 — Doesn't show level properly

*2020-12-16*

Couldn't get it to display above a 1200 level, even when increasing processor time.

**Developer response:** If you click the "Game" button in the lower left of the app, you'll get a menu, and if you choose new game you can configure all the parameters of the game.

### 3/5 — Just don't get fooled

*2014-05-19, version 1.0*

This is only an app to play against. You cannot challenge another player, like for example "chess with friends". Who wants to play a computer all the time?

On the up side FINALLY there is an app for suicide chess and atomic chess!

**Developer response:** We still are just a chess program not an online game system but the level progression in giveaway or suicide has been improved to hopefully not make it seem so much like a hard computer level 2 and up.  Level one previously was a real dummy as someone called it and level 2 got harder due to not limiting extensions only depth.  now we limit extensions and levels 1-3 are redone with better level progression.

### 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.

### 4/5 — screeee:}

*2020-09-22*

simple more controlls then the standard easy fun , thank you !

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Klasse Schachapp

*2026-04-10*

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

### 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.

### 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.

### 5/5 — No Frills, Great Features!

*2020-11-23*

Deceptively primitive at first glance, this is a really solid chess app, with loads of useful features, and a very straightforward interface. I got it specifically for the Chess 960 variant, but it quickly became my favorite out of several, and I'm still exploring and learning. Kudos to the developers for adding value to the internet!

### 5/5 — Great app. Exactly what I hoped existed now

*2017-10-25*

I didn't think I would find an app that could play crazyhouse, much less beat me. This is exactly what I was looking for. Great app. Now I don't have to bore myself playin regular chess on my cell phone!

### 5/5 — Superb chess necessity

*2015-11-19*

I love 'Suicide Chess', known here as 'Loser Chess'. Never win, but it's fun. Crazyhouse Chess is also here, the same game as I play on my iMac - terrific fun. There are other variants too. I just beat the iPad at 'Atomic Chess' which was terrific fun. Just taught my son chess and this is a good app to play in between proper chess.

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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.*