Comparison

Mini Chess vs The Chess Play

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Simplified 6x6 chessboard
  • Fewer pieces (no knights/bishops)
  • Play against 3 AI levels
  • Local multiplayer mode
  • Quick matches
  • Beginner-friendly
Features
Read full description

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!

About

The Chess Play

Features
Read full description

Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chess board, a checkered game board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. In a standard game of chess, each of the two players begins a game with the following 16 pieces: eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen and one king. The goal of the game is for each player to try and checkmate the king of the opponent. Checkmate is a threat ('check') to the opposing king which no move can stop. It ends the game. Features: - Play as white or black, against the computer or a friend. - Relive the glory by replaying moves on the board in existing and past games - 300 difficulty levels - Support online gameplay.- Autosaving your current game. - Play against another human opponent. - Relaxing music. - Practice mode ; Choose your skill level, train your brain, and learn new tactics by challenging The origins of chess are not exactly clear, though most believe it evolved from earlier chess-like games played in India almost two thousand years ago.The game of chess we know today has been around since the 15th century where it became popular in Europe.

Screenshots

Mini Chess4 screens
The Chess Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Chess Play at none against Mini Chess's 1. The Chess Play also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mini Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Chess Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mini Chess versus The Chess Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini ChessThe Chess Play
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (345 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings345 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOutOfTheBit LtdLaongdouw Somakate

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)
Show 5 more
  • Ability to play full traditional chess
  • Create custom board feature
  • Extremely hard difficulty level
  • Physical board version
  • Draw by repetition after 3 moves

The Chess Play

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mini Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

The Chess Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mini Chess free?
Mini Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Chess Play free?
The Chess Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mini Chess or The Chess Play have ads?
Mini Chess shows ads; The Chess Play does not.
Which is updated more often, Mini Chess or The Chess Play?
Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Chess Play every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mini Chess was updated on September 26, 2026 and The Chess Play on September 5, 2026.

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