Comparison

Chess King vs Mindgammon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess King

Master the game of chess with this comprehensive learning app. It offers interactive lessons, puzzles, and analysis for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Improve your tactics and strategy with a personal chess trainer, available online and offline.

Highlights
  • 100+ learning courses
  • Interactive theoretical lessons
  • High-quality, double-checked puzzles
  • Personal chess trainer
  • Computer analysis
  • Offline support
  • Chess tasks for kids
Features
Read full description

Don't just play chess. Train like a master. Chess King teaches the game the way strong players are actually built — with a rigorous, structured curriculum, not a random feed of puzzles. 147 complete courses take you from your first move to advanced play, step by step. WHY CHESS KING IS DIFFERENT Most chess apps let you play. Chess King trains you. Every course is a real lesson built on classical training methods refined over 30 years — the same approach behind CT-ART, the tactics trainer used by serious players worldwide. You don't just solve a position and move on. Chess King gives you hints when you are stuck, explains the idea behind the right move, and shows you the striking refutation of the mistakes you might make. That is how understanding is built — not memorized. WHAT YOU GET - 147 structured courses covering tactics, strategy, openings, the middlegame, and endgames, organized by level from beginner to master. - Chess King University: 7 guided learning paths and 44 courses that give you a clear, ordered route to real improvement — no guessing what to study next. - Interactive theory: read the lesson, then play the moves on the board yourself. Learning by doing, not just reading. - Thousands of carefully selected exercises with graphic hints and full explanations. - Play against the computer to put what you have trained into practice. - A progress report for every lesson, so you always see how far you have come. TRAIN ON EVERY DEVICE Your subscription, purchases, progress, and rating sync automatically across web, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Train on your phone on the commute, continue on the web at home — your progress follows you. TRY IT FREE Preview courses before you commit. When you are ready, choose a monthly or yearly plan, or buy individual courses to keep forever. Chess King — train like a master. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Mindgammon

A head-to-head dice and strategy game where players race chips down a single track, bear them in, and bear them off. It offers tactical gameplay suitable for quick matches or longer sessions, with options to play against AI, friends, or in tournaments.

Highlights
  • Single straight track gameplay
  • Chips start off the board
  • Doubles grant four moves and re-rolls
  • Aces Ducey rolls grant extra moves
  • Exact-count bear-off mechanic
  • Play against computer or friends
  • Tournament play available
Features
Read full description

Mindgammon: Roll, Bear-in, Outmaneuver, Bear-off Mindgammon is a head-to-head dice and strategy game played on a single straight track. Each player starts with 15 chips off the board. Bring them into play, race them down the track, and bear them off. The first player to clear all 15 wins. - One straight track, easy to read from your first game - Every chip starts off the board, so each game opens with a fight for position - Doubles give you four moves, and you roll again - Roll a 1 and 2 and you've rolled Acey Ducey: take another roll - Exact-count bear-off, so endgame planning matters - Room to recover: no lead is ever safe Ways to play Play the computer, open a private table with a friend, or enter tournaments. Twenty minutes or two hours, it's easy to learn and tactical enough to keep you sharp. Free to play.

Screenshots

Chess King4 screens
Mindgammon2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Mindgammon at none against Chess King's shown. Mindgammon also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Chess King's advantage is ratings volume (2.5K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Chess King sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Mindgammon sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mindgammon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess King has 2.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess King ships an update every 3 weeks, Mindgammon every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess King versus Mindgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess KingMindgammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.5K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB149 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChess KingChristian Bailey

Customer experience

Chess King

All ratings2,501 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative16.4%

Mindgammon

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chess King

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on M1 Macs
  • Doesnot work with iOS 13 dark mode
  • Doesnot show board and pieces in exercises
  • Cannot restore purchases
  • Doesnot sync progress across devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve user interface and design
  • Add more opening courses
  • Provide better explanations for moves
  • Allow resetting progress
Show 2 more
  • Improve syncing across devices
  • Add online chess mode

Mindgammon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Chess King

Subscriptions6
  • CT-ART: The Best Tactics7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Chess King University7 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Month trial$17.991 Month
  • Chess King Courses3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Chess King Maximum Pack1 Year trial$119.991 Year
One-time11
  • Mate in 1 move (Chess Puzzles)$3.99
  • Chess Endings for Beginners$7.99
  • Chess: From Beginner to Club$12.99
Show 8 more
  • Chess Combinations Vol. 1$12.99
  • Chess Tactics for Beginners$12.99
  • Chess Opening Blunders$12.99
  • Chess Opening Lab (1400-2000)$12.99
  • Chess Strategy for Beginners$12.99
  • Elementary Chess Tactics 1$12.99
  • CT-ART 4.0 (Chess Tactics)$17.99
  • Total Chess Endgames 1600-2400$17.99
6 purchases

Mindgammon

One-time6
  • 5,000 Chips$0.99
  • 10,000 Chips$1.99
  • 15,000 Chips$2.99
Show 3 more
  • 20,000 Chips$3.99
  • Remove Ads$3.99
  • 1,000,000 Chips$19.99

Questions

Is Chess King free?
Chess King is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mindgammon free?
Mindgammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess King or Mindgammon?
Mindgammon is rated higher. Chess King averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Mindgammon averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chess King or Mindgammon have ads?
Chess King shows ads; Mindgammon does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess King or Mindgammon?
Chess King ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mindgammon every 2 days. Most recently, Chess King was updated on October 29, 2026 and Mindgammon on October 30, 2026.

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