Comparison

Chess Universe vs Chess Puzzles & Tactics

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

Head to head
About

Chess Universe

Embark on a chess adventure with unique island challenges and rewards. Learn from over 1,000 lessons, play against friends or players worldwide, and master strategies with helpful tools. Unlock new content and customize your experience.

Highlights
  • Play online chess games
  • Multiple game modes (Blitz, Bullet, Rapid)
  • Play vs Computer Islands with daily challenges
  • Over 1,000 chess lessons
  • Play chess with friends
  • Custom game creation
  • Hints, Undo, Game Review, Analysis tools
Features
Read full description

NEW MAJOR UPDATE – ISLAND ADVENTURES IN PLAY VS COMPUTER! Your chess adventure just got a massive upgrade! Play vs Computer now takes you beyond standard matches into a world of exploration and rewards. Travel across mysterious islands, face unique Computer challenges, and claim treasure as you master each level. The journey begins on the Starting Positions island: You start every match with the classic chess setup and your full set of 16 pieces. - Defeat opponents to choose rewards from a fresh prize list. - New challengers appear every 24 hours, each bringing new rewards. - Beat all 3 opponents in a cycle for bonus treasure. - Computer difficulty adapts after each respawn to match your skill. From here, more islands await — each with its own twist, challenges, and rewards. Will you unlock them all? MAIN FEATURES PLAY UNLIMITED ONLINE CHESS GAMES Battle players from around the world and climb your country’s leaderboard. MULTIPLE GAME MODES Choose Blitz, Bullet, Rapid, Easy Mode, or explore Play vs Computer Islands at your own pace. PLAY VS COMPUTER ISLANDS – DAILY CHALLENGES Explore themed islands with unique chess challenges. CHESS LESSONS FOR ALL LEVELS From basics to master-level strategies — over 1,000 lessons by top coaches. PLAY CHESS WITH FRIENDS Invite friends and enjoy fun, competitive matches online. CREATE YOUR GAME Use the Create Your Game mode in Play vs Computer to set up custom matches and practice your favorite positions in 9 different difficulty levels. Chess transcends languages — xadrez, ajedrez, satranç, schach, şahmat — but it’s always the ultimate game of strategy. Chess Universe combines beautiful design, fun progression, and powerful learning tools: Hints, Undo, Game Review, Replay, and Analysis. Earn rewards, unlock boards, and level up your style while mastering your skills. It’s your move. Download Chess Universe now and begin your island adventure. VIP Membership Subscription: - Unlock all islands in Play vs Computer Islands, exclusive boards and sets, special effects, VIP avatars and pets, unlimited hints, ad-free play, and 40 gems weekly. - Terms of Use: (standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA)): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ABOUT CHESS UNIVERSE: Created by chess Grandmasters and gaming experts to blend world-class chess with game-like adventure. Rated IGRS 13+ under Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS) for content suitability in Indonesia. Stay updated: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChessUniverseApp X: https://x.com/chess_universe

About

Chess Puzzles & Tactics

Enhance your chess skills with an extensive collection of puzzles and tactical exercises. Tailor your training by customizing puzzle difficulty and Elo ratings to target specific weaknesses and accelerate improvement, suitable for players of all levels.

Highlights
  • Infinite chess puzzles
  • Tactics training
  • Customizable puzzles
  • Elo rating adjustment
  • All player levels
  • Extensive tactic list
Features
Read full description

Solve interactive chess positions on the board and find the correct continuation. Train tactics, mating patterns, and endgames. Choose the categories or motifs you want to practice, then set a puzzle Elo range or difficulty that fits your target session. Built for chess players from beginner through advanced. Practice familiar ideas such as forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, sacrifices, promotion, and zugzwang. Develop pattern recognition and calculation through focused puzzle practice.

Screenshots

Chess Universe4 screens
Chess Puzzles & Tactics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chess Puzzles & Tactics at free against Chess Universe's free with in-app purchases. Chess Puzzles & Tactics also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 64%). Chess Universe's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (6K vs 478). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess Universe sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and Chess Puzzles & Tactics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Universe holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Universe has 6K ratings behind it against 478, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Chess Universe's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chess Puzzles & Tactics's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Universe ships an update every 8 days, Chess Puzzles & Tactics every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Universe versus Chess Puzzles & Tactics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess UniverseChess Puzzles & Tactics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6K ratings) — better4.5 (478 ratings)
Positive reviews64.0% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6K — better478
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size292 MB59 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKings of Games, d.o.o.Sajed Nahian

Customer experience

Chess Universe

All ratings5,989 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews750 reviews
Positive64.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.7%

Chess Puzzles & Tactics

All ratings478 ratings
Positive85.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Chess Universe

From 6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and interactive gameplay
  • 💡 Variety of game modes and challenges
  • 🚀 Smooth performance and quick matchmaking
  • 🎨 Customizable characters and chess boards

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connection issues and game freezes
  • 💰 Excessive in-app purchases and ads
  • 🤖 Concerns about AI opponents using engines
  • ⏱️ Limited time control options

Chess Puzzles & Tactics

From 478 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🆓 Free to use, no ads
  • ♾️ Seemingly endless puzzles
  • 🧠 Great for chess improvement
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use interface
  • 🎯 Puzzles tailored to skill level

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🔄 Progress resets (ELO, history)
  • ⚠️ Login issues (Apple/Google)
  • ⏳ Puzzles take a long time to load
  • 🥶 Freezes and crashes

Bugs and requests

Chess Universe

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect move recognition in some puzzles
  • Rating system not accurately reflecting player skill
  • Account recovery and password reset issues
  • Unexpected app crashes and freezes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more time control options (e.g., 30/60 minutes)
  • Implement a report system for suspected cheaters
  • Improve the chess academy and puzzle design
  • Allow players to save and share game histories

Chess Puzzles & Tactics

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Unable to login
  • Application resets to starting value (1000elo)
  • History/review chapters remain unlocked
  • In-application feedback not functioning
  • Rating feature broke
Show 13 more
  • Ability to control puzzle strength broke
  • Scanning thing after opening app continues forever
  • App resets ELO to 1000
  • Undo button disappears
  • Tapping to select a piece stops working
  • Analysis breaks
  • Viewing history doesn’t work
  • App crashes
  • View History tab page never loads
  • App forgets login and starts from ELO = 0
  • Analysis button messed up
  • App hangs after pressing 'log in'
  • Puzzles freeze, no way of moving pieces

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to mute sounds
  • Ability to disable audio
  • Allow loading custom puzzle sets
  • Better interface and cable

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Chess Universe

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly VIP Membership$5.997 Days
  • Monthly VIP Membership$11.991 Month
  • Yearly VIP Membership$59.991 Year
One-time17
  • Change Nickname$0.99
  • 10 gems$1.49
  • Starter Pack$2.99
Show 14 more
  • All Emoji + Ammo$3.99
  • Free hints for 20 days$3.99
  • Chess Kit 2020$3.99
  • Chess Kit 2022$3.99
  • 40 gems$3.99
  • Remove Ads$4.99
  • Unlimited Hints for 20 days$4.99
  • Starter Pack$4.99
  • Value Pack$5.99
  • Chess Kit 2021$5.99
  • Survival Kit$6.99
  • Remove Ads Forever$8.99
  • 135 gems$9.99
  • Champion Pack$11.99
1 purchases

Chess Puzzles & Tactics

One-time1
  • Ad-Free Forever$3.99

Questions

Is Chess Universe free?
Chess Universe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Puzzles & Tactics free?
Chess Puzzles & Tactics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Universe or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?
Chess Universe is rated higher. Chess Universe averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while Chess Puzzles & Tactics averages 4.5 from 478 ratings.
Do Chess Universe or Chess Puzzles & Tactics have ads?
Both Chess Universe and Chess Puzzles & Tactics show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Universe or Chess Puzzles & Tactics?
Chess Universe ships an update every 8 days, and Chess Puzzles & Tactics every 5 days. Most recently, Chess Universe was updated on September 23, 2026 and Chess Puzzles & Tactics on September 20, 2026.

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