Comparison

Master 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

Master Chess

Engage in the timeless strategy of chess against AI opponents or players worldwide. Master tactical moves to capture the opponent's king and achieve checkmate. This classic board game offers intuitive drag-and-drop controls for seamless gameplay.

Highlights
  • Play against computer AI
  • Compete with real players globally
  • Classic chess gameplay
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop controls
  • Capture the opponent's king
  • Achieve checkmate
Features
Read full description

Use the most effective strategies to defeat the computer or real players from all over the world in this classic game for all time. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's king. This is done by moving the pieces on the board. Who will be the first to say "Checkmate". To make a move, click on the shape and drag it to the desired position. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Master Chess4 screens
The Chess Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Chess Play at none against Master Chess's 1. The Chess Play also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 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. Master Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. The Chess Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Master Chess ships an update every 3 months, The Chess Play every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Master Chess versus The Chess Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaster ChessThe Chess Play
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (17 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews27.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.67.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB88 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperCode This Lab srlLaongdouw Somakate

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Master Chess

Subscriptions1
  • Chess Subscription$0.991 Month
None

The Chess Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Master Chess free?
Master 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 Master Chess or The Chess Play have ads?
Master Chess shows ads; The Chess Play does not.
Which is updated more often, Master Chess or The Chess Play?
Master Chess ships an update every 3 months, and The Chess Play every 3 weeks. Most recently, Master Chess was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Chess Play on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons