Comparison

Mini Chess vs Grid Control

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

Grid Control

Features
Read full description

A 4x4 Tic Tac Toe game with a twist: you can't move in the same row or column as the previous move made by the opponent. Features: - Single Player: Face against a skilled artificial intelligence across 8 difficulty levels. One must learn to master Control of the Grid in order to defeat all 8 levels and the difficulty automatically adjusts based on your win/lose results. - Local Multiplayer: Challenge an in-person friend by playing a friendly match on the same device. - Online Multiplayer: Face an opponent that could be anywhere else in the world and see who has better control of the grid. Matches are based on a first-come first-serve basis at this point.

Screenshots

Mini Chess4 screens
Grid Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grid Control at none against Mini Chess's 1. Grid Control also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). Mini Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 19 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Grid Control every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mini Chess versus Grid Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini ChessGrid Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (345 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings345 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 19 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOutOfTheBit LtdCory Harasha

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

Grid Control

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mini Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

Grid Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mini Chess free?
Mini Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grid Control free?
Grid Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mini Chess or Grid Control have ads?
Mini Chess shows ads; Grid Control does not.
Which is updated more often, Mini Chess or Grid Control?
Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Grid Control every 19 months. Most recently, Mini Chess was updated on October 1, 2026 and Grid Control on October 6, 2026.

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