Mini Chess vs Chessplode
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!
Chessplode
This app offers a unique twist on chess where capturing a piece causes others in the same line and column to explode. It's designed to be fun and accessible, even for those who aren't skilled at traditional chess, offering both single-player and multiplayer modes.
- Exploding pieces on capture
- Real-time multiplayer battles
- User-created levels
- Local multiplayer mode
- AI opponent practice
- Customizable color themes
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Chessplode is modern chess for everyone, it makes chess fun even if you're bad ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, one simply move... can change all game. -- THE MODERN RULE -- Chessplode is pretty much like chess with a really BIG twist... - CAPTURE a piece and everything in the same LINE and COLUMN will EXPLODE... - But if a KING is in that LINE or COLUMN it will be a really *boring* chess capture (no explosions) -- THINK DIFF... *DISTINCT* -- This rule is pretty tricky, in regular chess you need to defend your KING, but in Chessplode it can save your pieces. Remember, you can't capture some pieces because you could get check. Sometimes you will checkmate capturing a piece that explodes. And other you will be afraid of having several pieces in the same line or column...(POP!) -- FRIENDS (Who love chess) REVIEW -- They find Chessplode a great challenge and love how they need to change the old way of thinking even if they are winning... a bad move and they will run out of pieces. -- FRIENDS (Who *meh* chess) REVIEW -- Chess + Explosions... you got my attention. Some of these friends were casual chess players and others didn't really feel the attraction for chess. Both find Chessplode a really fun game. When they were playing regular chess they were not good, now they are the kings of the hill. -- FEATURES -- * FREE TO PLAY * Realtime chess battles multiplayer with people around the world. * In multiplayer you can send an emoji (to express your feelings) with every move you submit. Instant fun! * Play Levels created for other players, you can find really madness here, but you can undo your move... everyone can make a mistake. * Create your own custom Level and submit it to everyone can play it. Challenge the world! * Try local multiplayer battles with friends in the same device. Head to head! * Practice playing versus Ziri. * A lot of different color themes, play day and night with your favourite colors. Thank you for playing "Chessplode"! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it ;) Support: Are you having problems? http://twitter.com/juaxma http://twitter.com/chessplode hello@juan.ma Privacy Policy: http://juan.ma/chessplode/privacypolicy/ AppPreview Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/jazzy-frenchy © Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo / juan.ma
Screenshots
Verdict
Mini Chess and Chessplode both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Mini Chess's written reviews are positive against 61% of Chessplode's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 and Chessplode sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mini Chess against 4.5 for Chessplode. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 345 and 573 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Mini Chess's written reviews are positive against 61% of Chessplode's.
Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Chessplode every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mini Chess | Chessplode |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (345 ratings) — better | 4.5 (573 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews — better | 61.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 345 | 573 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OutOfTheBit Ltd | Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo |
Customer experience
Mini Chess
Chessplode
User reviews
Mini Chess
From 345 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast-paced, quick gameplay
- 👍 Easy to learn and beginner-friendly
- 🎮 Addictive and fun
- 💡 Innovative simplified chess concept
- ⚙️ Multiple difficulty levels
Room to improve
- 🐛 Check notification animation interrupts gameplay flow
- 😴 Gets repetitive and stale quickly
- 🤖 AI makes too many mistakes, even on hard mode
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
- ⚖️ Unfair perpetual check mechanics
Chessplode
From 573 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Quick gameplay
- 👍 Beautiful and fun game
- 👍 Fantastic and great fun twist on chess
- 👍 Lovely little game
- 👍 Chess with a new challenge
Room to improve
- 🐛 Won't open or get stuck
- 🐛 Issues with king movement and checkmate detection
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 AI issues with thinking and repeating moves
- 🐛 Overly difficult, even at easy levels
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
Chessplode
Reported bugs
4 issues- Won't open or get stuck on certain screens
- Issues with king movement and checkmate detection
- Crashes and freezes, especially when AI is thinking
- AI issues with thinking and repeating moves
Requested features
9 requests- Add local multiplayer mode
- Add classic chess mode
- Add more basic puzzles
- Add ability to go back to previous levels
- Add option to remove explosions
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- Add Repetition end-condition
- Add Resign button
- Add themed boards
- Add online levels and multiplayer
In-app purchases
Mini Chess
- Remove Ads$1.99
Chessplode
- +100 Undos$0.99
- Generous Tip$0.99
- Massive Tip$1.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- INFINITE UNDOS$1.99
- Amazing Tip$2.99
Questions
Is Mini Chess free?
Is Chessplode free?
Which has better reviews, Mini Chess or Chessplode?
Do Mini Chess or Chessplode have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mini Chess or Chessplode?
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