Comparison

Mini Chess vs Glow Chess

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

Glow Chess

Engage in the classic strategy game with adjustable difficulty levels and helpful features. Practice tactics and strategy to become a Chess Master. Offers puzzles and a two-player mode for interactive play.

Highlights
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Chess Puzzles
  • Game Assistant
  • Undo move
  • Hints
  • 2 player mode
Features
Read full description

Hi Players, As you know, Chess is one of the oldest strategy games in the world. Chess is an excellent board logic game that develops such skills as tactics, strategy and visual memory. I'm trying to create an application that allows a player of any level to enjoy the game. Play Chess, unlock levels and be Chess Master! Chess pieces: - The pawn moves to one field forward or two fields at the first move of this figure; beats diagonally to one field forward. - The king moves to one field in the vertical, horizontal or diagonal. - The queen moves to any distance vertically, horizontally or diagonally. - The rook moves to any distance vertically or horizontally. - The knight moves to the field two fields along the vertical and one horizontally or one field vertically and two horizontally. - The bishop moves to any distance diagonally. Important Chess situations: - Check - the situation in chess when a king is under immediate attack by opponent's pieces - Checkmate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move is in check and has no legal move to escape check. - Stalemate - the situation in chess when the player whose turn it is to move has no legal move and is not in check. (draw) The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king. Two special moves in Chess: - Castling is a double move, performed by the king and the rook that never moved. - En passant is a move in which a pawn can take an opponent's pawn if it jumps over a field under the pawn's blow. Features: - 5 levels of difficulty - Chess Puzzles - Game Assistant (Helper) - Ability to undo a move - Hints of moves - 2 player mode - Realistic graphics - Sound effects - Small size If you want to play good Chess, you can help me make the app better. Please write your feedback and suggestions here; I will read them and improve the quality of the application! Thank you.

Screenshots

Mini Chess4 screens
Glow Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Mini Chess at every 3 weeks against Glow Chess's every 6 months. Mini Chess also leads on ratings volume (345 vs 39). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Glow Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Glow Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Chess has 345 ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Glow Chess every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Mini Chess versus Glow Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini ChessGlow Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (345 ratings)4.8 (39 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings345 — better39
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOutOfTheBit LtdPhuong Ta

Customer experience

Mini Chess

All ratings345 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral6.1%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral7.3%
Negative9.8%

Glow Chess

All ratings24 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

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

Glow Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mini Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
1 purchases

Glow Chess

One-time1
  • No Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Mini Chess free?
Mini Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Glow Chess free?
Glow Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mini Chess or Glow Chess?
Glow Chess is rated higher. Mini Chess averages 4.6 out of 5 from 345 ratings, while Glow Chess averages 4.8 from 39 ratings.
Do Mini Chess or Glow Chess have ads?
Both Mini Chess and Glow Chess show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mini Chess or Glow Chess?
Mini Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Glow Chess every 6 months. Most recently, Mini Chess was updated on October 1, 2026 and Glow Chess on September 29, 2026.

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