Chess Openings Wizard vs Interactive Chess Books
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess Openings Wizard
This app helps tournament chess players prepare their openings by designing and testing their knowledge of specific lines. It offers powerful editing and training tools, syncing with desktop versions and providing Stockfish analysis for move validation. Prepare openings quickly with tools refined over decades.
- Design and test chess openings
- Full editing and training power
- Syncs with Mac and Windows versions
- Stockfish analysis via PocketGM server
- Pedigree ribbon shows top player game results
- Fast opening preparation tools
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Chess Openings Wizard is where tournament players go to work on their openings. The app is based on the Bookup program that first came out in 1984. The app has full editing and training power like its brethren apps on Macintosh and Windows. Openings can be moved back and forth to the Macintosh, Windows, and Android versions. Chess Openings Wizard does not play chess, nor does it come with a game collection. It is meant for designing openings for White and defenses for Black, and then testing the player's knowledge of the lines by playing mock games. Sample ebooks include an opening guide (thousands of named and categorized opening positions accessible through any move order), an ECO master framework, and the White and Black repertoires of Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and Robert Fischer. It also includes a demo ebook with excerpts from a highly annotated repertoire in the Open Game. Chess Openings Wizard has a dedicated PocketGM server giving you full speed Stockfish analysis. (Internet connection required.) The Pedigree ribbon shows the results of games in each opening position but uses only games between two super GMs. That way you know if the move is trusted by the best players. (And it's important to know if a move has never been played by a super GM when facing another super GM.) This is the same feature found in Chess Openings Wizard Professional for Macintosh and Windows. The short version is: if you are designing an opening with a game database app or with a playing program, you're working too hard. Chess Openings Wizard contains 42 years of refinements, with precisely the tools that a tournament player requires to prepare openings fast.
Interactive Chess Books
This app offers interactive lessons, tutorials, and practice exercises to help beginners and intermediate players improve their chess skills. It features a user-friendly interface with clear instructions, helpful tips, and engaging challenges to make learning fun and effective.
- Interactive lessons
- Tutorials
- Practice exercises
- User-friendly interface
- Helpful tips and tricks
- Engaging challenges and quizzes
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Welcome to my chess instruction mobile app, the perfect tool for both beginner and intermediate chess players who want to improve their skills and take their game to the next level. Chess is a game that has fascinated people for centuries, and with the advent of modern technology, it has never been easier to learn and play the game. My app is designed to provide a comprehensive and interactive learning experience that covers all aspects of the game, from the basics of chess rules and strategies to advanced techniques used by experienced players. Whether you are a beginner who is just starting to learn the game or an intermediate player who wants to sharpen your skills, my app provides a range of features to help you improve your game. From interactive lessons and tutorials to practice exercises, my app has everything you need to take your chess skills to the next level. I have designed my app with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and use, regardless of your experience level. With clear and concise instructions, helpful tips and tricks, and engaging challenges and quizzes, my app provides a fun and interactive way to learn and master the game of chess. So whether you want to learn the game from scratch or improve your existing skills, my chess instruction mobile app is the perfect companion to help you achieve your goals. Download it today and take the first step towards becoming a better chess player!
Screenshots
Verdict
Chess Openings Wizard and Interactive Chess Books both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Interactive Chess Books's written reviews are positive against 55% of Chess Openings Wizard's. Interactive Chess Books also leads on price (Free vs $6.99). Chess Openings Wizard's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On rating, ratings volume, 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
Interactive Chess Books is free to download; Chess Openings Wizard costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Chess Openings Wizard against 5.0 for Interactive Chess Books. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Chess Openings Wizard's written reviews are positive against 100% of Interactive Chess Books's.
Chess Openings Wizard ships an update every 2 months, Interactive Chess Books every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Openings Wizard | Interactive Chess Books |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 167 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bookup Corp. | Eric Tangborn |
Customer experience
Chess Openings Wizard
Interactive Chess Books
In-app purchases
Chess Openings Wizard
No in-app purchases
Interactive Chess Books
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chess Openings Wizard free?
Is Interactive Chess Books free?
Which has better reviews, Chess Openings Wizard or Interactive Chess Books?
Do Chess Openings Wizard or Interactive Chess Books have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess Openings Wizard or Interactive Chess Books?
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