Comparison

Shatar vs Solitaire

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

Head to head
About

Shatar

Experience Shatar, a historical chess variant played for centuries in Mongolia. This game features unique piece movements, including a queen with combined Ferz and Rook abilities. It offers a glimpse into a different chess evolution.

Highlights
  • Historical chess variant
  • Unique queen movement
  • Medieval Arabic chess offspring
  • Cultural gameplay
  • Tournament history
Features
Read full description

Shatar was the variant of chess, played for many centuries in Mongolia, before it was replaced by FIDE chess by pressure of the former CCCP. This game is a direct offspring of the medieval Arabic chess, evolving in a different direction as chess did in Western Europe and Russia. The movement of the queen is particularly interesting, as it has the combined moves of a Ferz (general) and Rook. In 1993, AISE organized a `Grand Prix’ tournament (played by postal mail) on Shatar. In later years, more Shatar tournaments were held in this game.

About

Solitaire

Features
Read full description

Solitaire Chess is a single-player siege puzzle played on a hexagonal honeycomb board. Pick your side and outwit a sharp AI — every move is a plan. [How it plays] ‧ Two sides, two strategies: as the Attacker, break out from the center and thread along the honeycomb paths to land on any red goal node on the rim; as the Defender, wall the attacker in before it can escape. ‧ A real AI opponent, powered by Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS), with Relaxed and Standard strengths — it never plays soft. ‧ Adjustable board size: radius 10–20 — the larger the board, the deeper the play. ‧ A rule with depth: the Defender can leap diagonally across a complete hexagon. ‧ Multiple board themes you can switch instantly, mid-game. ‧ Touch-mode toggle: "Place" and "Move board" are separate, so panning and zooming never drops a stone by accident. ‧ Stats: win rate and match history at a glance. [Who it's for] ‧ Fans of abstract strategy — chess, Go, and tactics games ‧ Anyone who wants to sharpen logic and spatial thinking in a single match ‧ A quick brain workout for your commute or lunch break [Privacy & offline] ‧ Fully offline — no account, no network required ‧ No ads, no tracking, no personal data collected ‧ All records stay on your device only ‧ Independently built by Intoxicated Child Studio [Free to play, Pro to unlock] The game is free to play. A one-time Pro unlock (non-consumable, yours forever) opens up larger boards, the Standard AI, full stats history, and every theme. Customers who bought the earlier paid version are granted Pro automatically — no repurchase needed. Set your siege on the honeycomb

Screenshots

Shatar1 screens
Solitaire3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Solitaire at none against Shatar's shown. Shatar's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shatar ships an update every 6 months, Solitaire every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Shatar versus Solitaire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShatarSolitaire
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNora KyKuo-Tsun Huang

In-app purchases

None

Shatar

No in-app purchases

None

Solitaire

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shatar free?
Shatar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solitaire free?
Solitaire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shatar or Solitaire have ads?
Shatar shows ads; Solitaire does not.
Which is updated more often, Shatar or Solitaire?
Shatar ships an update every 6 months, and Solitaire every 9 months. Most recently, Shatar was updated on September 28, 2026 and Solitaire on October 10, 2026.

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