Really Bad Chess vs Pocket Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Really Bad Chess
This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.
- Randomized chess piece sets
- AI opponent challenges
- Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
- Freeplay practice mode
- Local multiplayer (with IAP)
- Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
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Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach
Pocket Chess
Enhance your chess skills with hundreds of challenging chess problems and puzzles. This app focuses on simplified boards to help you quickly recognize chess patterns and improve your game.
- Hundreds of chess problems
- Checkmate in 2 and 4 puzzles
- Simplified boards for pattern recognition
- Improve chess game
- Learn chess patterns faster
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Pocket Chess helps you improve and brush up on your Chess by offering hundreds of thought provoking Chess problems and Chess puzzles. From Checkmate in 2 to Checkmate in 4 and much more! Pocket Chess is a new way to learn and improve at Chess. Featuring boards that are small and simple, important pieces are in focus so that you can learn to recognise Chess patterns faster and quicker. Improve your Chess Game and Download Now for free!
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Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Chess at 4.6 against Really Bad Chess's 3.8. Pocket Chess also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 46%) and ratings volume (15K vs 1.6K). Really Bad Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Pocket Chess sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pocket Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Chess has 15K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Really Bad Chess's written reviews are positive against 61% of Pocket Chess's.
Really Bad Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Pocket Chess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Really Bad Chess | Pocket Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (1.6K ratings) | 4.6 (15K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.3% of reviews | 61.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | 15K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| 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 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 125 MB | 199 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zach Gage | Lessmore GmbH |
Customer experience
Really Bad Chess
Pocket Chess
User reviews
Really Bad Chess
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 🤔 Unique and innovative concept
- 👍 Challenging and engaging
- ⭐ Great way to learn chess
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🕰️ Slow AI response times
- 💰 Paywalls for essential features
- 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads
- 🔁 Repetitive AI moves leading to stalemates
Pocket Chess
From 15K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Improved chess skills
- 👍 Challenging yet fun puzzles
- 🤩 Addictive and engaging
- 🧠 Helps develop tactical thinking
- 📈 Tracks progress and skill level
Room to improve
- 🙄 Excessive ads
- 💰 Expensive to remove ads
- 🐛 Some puzzles have issues
- 🤔 Opponent moves don't always make sense
Bugs and requests
Really Bad Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect checkmate detection
Requested features
5 requests- Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
- Implement online/multiplayer mode
- Provide more difficulty settings
- Allow custom piece arrangements
- Sync progress across devices
Pocket Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Progress data loss
- Incorrect checkmate solutions
- Game freezing after certain moves
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to review past puzzles
- More advanced puzzles and levels
- Option to disable audio/music
- Sync progress across devices
In-app purchases
Really Bad Chess
- 100 Undos$0.99
- Full Game Unlock$3.99
Pocket Chess
- Small Coin Bundle$1.99
- Remove Ads2 variants$4.99
- Starter Package2 variants$4.99
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- Event Offer$4.99
- Medium Coin Bundle$5.99
- Large Coin Bundle$11.99
- Super Coin Bundle$25.99
Questions
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Is Pocket Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Really Bad Chess or Pocket Chess?
Do Really Bad Chess or Pocket Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Really Bad Chess or Pocket Chess?
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