Mini Chess vs Pawn Race
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mini Chess
Enjoy a simplified, faster version of chess on your mobile device. Play against AI or a friend on a smaller board with fewer pieces. Ideal for beginners and quick matches.
- Simplified 6x6 chessboard
- Fewer pieces (no knights/bishops)
- Play against 3 AI levels
- Local multiplayer mode
- Quick matches
- Beginner-friendly
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The traditional game of chess made easier and quicker, perfect for iPhone and iPad. Download it now for free and start play in just 1 tap! Mini Chess is a modern simplified version of classic chess, perfect for playing on your phone and tablet, on your own, with 3 level of Artificial Intelligence, or with a friend on the same device (multiplayer). Play on a smaller chessboard (6x6), with less pieces (no knights and bishops) and have fun on more speedy matches than classic chess. Play straight away, with friends, online or solo, and every match takes just minutes. Mini Chess is also perfect for kids to start play the all-time-favourite classic board game. Kids and beginners will find it so easy to learn and to enjoy in just 1 tap and experts will love the new challenge of playing in a different setting. Thanks for playing!
Pawn Race
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Pawn Race is a game similar to chess in which you only have pawns. Your goal is either to promote one of your pawns or to capture all the opponent's pieces. Enjoy a small intellectual challenge and abrupt minimalistic design playing against AI or your friends in a local multiplayer!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pawn Race at none against Mini Chess's 1. Pawn Race also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Mini Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pawn Race asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Pawn Race weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mini Chess | Pawn Race |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (345 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 345 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OutOfTheBit Ltd | Valerii Maksymets |
Bugs and requests
Mini Chess
Reported bugs
5 issues- Checkmate declared incorrectly with viable moves available
- Queen positioned on wrong color
- AI allows illegal moves to prevent player from winning
- Stalemate not handled correctly
- Perpetual check rules unfairly favor opponent
Requested features
10 requests- Add Knights and Bishops to piece options
- Alternative piece combinations (2 Rooks + 2 Bishops)
- Randomized starting positions
- Landscape mode for iPad
- Random color assignment (white/black alternation)
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- Ability to play full traditional chess
- Create custom board feature
- Extremely hard difficulty level
- Physical board version
- Draw by repetition after 3 moves
Pawn Race
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mini Chess
- Remove Ads$1.99
Pawn Race
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mini Chess free?
Is Pawn Race free?
Do Mini Chess or Pawn Race have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mini Chess or Pawn Race?
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