# The Foolish King - game & book — learn & play chess > Interactive chess learning app with storybook elements and online play. (iPhone/iPad app by Stour Publishing Ltd.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-foolish-king-game-and-book/id1137053697 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Stour Publishing Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137053696) - Category: Education, Games, Board, Strategy - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 2.10/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 575 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2016-09-04 - Data updated: 2026-06-05 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-foolish-king-game-and-book/id1137053697/reviews.md ## What is The Foolish King? The Foolish King - The Secret History of Chess Long, long ago, when kings ruled the land, dragons filled the sky and magic still existed, two small children stumbled upon the game of chess. This is your chance to discover it with them . . . Join Pip and Holly on their magical fairy-tale adventure and become a chess master! An interactive, smartly-designed, iPad app that is the perfect introduction to chess for children and adults alike – ideal for children aged six and above. The app helps children and adults to learn chess with its ‘How To Play’ section, they can practice against the computer or their friend/parent and can join the world wide chess league for free! The chess league has a leaderboard showing results of chess games by age ranking as well as overall. The Foolish King is a magical fairy-tale storybook about the secret history of chess - written by Lord Price and brought vividly to life by Martin Brown, illustrator of the mega-selling Horrible Histories. Here are some recent reviews of the app: - https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/the-foolish-king# - http://writingfromthetub.co.uk/books/the-foolish-king-by-lord-mark-price/ - http://www.lep.co.uk/lifestyle/books/book-reviews-chess-masters-dinosaur-agents-and-a-terrific-toddler-tantrum-1-8135899 -http://www.techagekids.com/2016/08/the-foolish-king-new-chess-app-for.html Features: Learn - Learn chess basics through ‘How To Play’ tutorials Play - Play ‘The Foolish King Live’ anybody else in the world! - World wide chess leaderboard - Play chess with the insects and bees from the story - Play against the computer or your friend - Help and prompts when playing chess - Easy, medium and hard levels of the game available when playing vs computer Read (In-app purchase) - Your copy of The Foolish King book for £4.99 (Retailed at £10.99) Beautifully illustrated throughout With in-app purchase ## Key features - Learn chess basics with tutorials - Play against computer or friends - Global chess leaderboard - Interactive storybook elements - Play with story characters - Help and prompts during gameplay ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 'The Foolish King' book for iPad | $4.99 | one-time | | Chess Game Opening Tutorials | $0.99 | one-time | | Chess Game Mate In One Puzzles | $0.99 | one-time | | 115 Sturling Pounds - Game Currency | $0.99 | one-time | | 260 Sturling Pounds - Game Currency | $1.99 | one-time | | 490 Sturling Pounds - Game Currency | $2.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (5 of 5) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-foolish-king-game-and-book/id1137053697/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Glitch *2023-01-02* Same as with AlanLKessler, my white took changes into a black rook. Literally can’t play a match without losing because of it. I also cannot connect even when I have full internet. Very bad app. ### 1/5 — Not letting us sign in *2022-08-20* We were never able to Log in. In order to use the Learn and Improve section of the app, you have to log in but this app is saying they can not connect to the server. ### 5/5 — This is chess *2020-06-19, version 2.7.3* This is the exact chess game ### 1/5 — Wha? *2020-01-19* Why is my white rook suddenly changing into a black rook? I’m glad I played a game before I let my kid try to learn on this. ### 1/5 — Rip off. Not happy. Do NOT BUY BOOK! *2017-01-29, version 2.1* We paid for the book in good faith and keep being sent to the stupid times table page which we have repeatedly successfuly but it keeps sending us back to the same place and will not allow access to the book. Son miserable and me very cross. Will contact apple to effect refund, ## Frequently asked questions about The Foolish King ### What is The Foolish King? The Foolish King is an interactive iPad app designed to teach chess through a magical fairy-tale adventure. It includes tutorials, practice modes, and a global leaderboard, making it suitable for beginners of all ages. ### How does The Foolish King teach chess? The app features a 'How To Play' section with tutorials for learning chess basics. Players can then practice their skills against the computer, a friend, or other players worldwide. ### Can I play The Foolish King offline? The description mentions playing against the computer or a friend, which suggests offline play is possible for practice. However, the 'world wide chess league' feature would require an internet connection. ### What age is The Foolish King recommended for? The app is ideal for children aged six and above, as well as adults. Its age rating is 4+. ### Does The Foolish King have ads? No, The Foolish King does not contain advertisements. ### What is the cost of The Foolish King? The app itself is free to download and play. There is an in-app purchase available for the digital copy of 'The Foolish King' book for £4.99. ### How often is The Foolish King updated? The latest version is 2.8.0, and it was last updated on November 27, 2025. This indicates a relatively recent update, though specific update frequency is not detailed. ### What devices does The Foolish King support? The Foolish King is designed for iPads and is available on that platform. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.8.0 — 2025-11-27 - Updated for better compatibility with the latest devices - Under the hood bug fixes and improvements ### 2.7.3 — 2018-07-25 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Happy International Chess day! We've made a few small updates and squished some bugs! See you in the chess arena! Over and out! ### 2.7.2 — 2018-05-25 We have updated our signup process to comply with the GDPR regulations ### 2.7.1 — 2018-03-01 Squished a couple of small bugs that you may have experienced. ### 2.7 — 2017-11-20 Competition time! Join us for The Foolish King timed competitions. We’ve noticed that you’re getting better and better at playing in the league - so wanted to open take the next step and launch worldwide chess competitions. Join in today for free! See you in the chess arena! Over and out! 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Kids: Learn & Play](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kahoot-kids-learn-and-play/id6444439181) | 4.6 (3,009) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Stour Publishing Ltd - [The Foolish King](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-foolish-king/id1176961367) - [WorkL](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/workl/id1298472962) - [Engaging Works Enterprise](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/engaging-works-enterprise/id1500813228) All apps by Stour Publishing Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/1137053696 --- *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 2026-06-05.*