Comparison

ChessLink App vs Chess Notation Lab

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

Head to head
About

ChessLink App

Connect your electronic chessboard to play chess games on Lichess or against a local partner or engine. LEDs on the board display opponent moves, providing an authentic over-the-board experience. Setup is quick and easy.

Highlights
  • Play on your physical chessboard
  • Connects to electronic boards
  • LEDs indicate opponent moves
  • Play on Lichess
  • Local playing partner option
  • Chess engine integration
Features
Read full description

Online chess that feels like real chess. Connect your electronic chessboard and play on Lichess, against a local friend, or the built-in engine — on your real board. Your opponent's moves light up on the board via LEDs, so your eyes stay on the game. WHAT'S NEW: A LOCAL CHESS ENGINE • Get hints in 2-player mode • Play against the engine — works fully OFFLINE, no internet needed • Free Analysis: set up any position, the engine shows best lines and gives a full evaluation — the spirit of the classic TASC R30/40 chess computer FEATURES • Free online play on Lichess — millions of opponents worldwide • 2-player mode with hints on one board • Free analysis with evaluation and best-move lines • Authentic over-the-board experience: real pieces, no screen-watching SET UP IN MINUTES Pair your board, launch the app, start playing. COMPATIBLE BOARDS Supreme T2, Supreme Boards, Exclusive Boards, Performance Boards, eONE. MORE INFO • Supreme T2 – computerchess.com/Supreme-T2/M880 • eONE – computerchess.com/eone/M841 • ChessClassics Exclusive – computerchess.com/en/chessgenius-exclusive-2/ • The King Performance – computerchess.com/the-king-performance/M830

About

Chess Notation Lab

Master chess board coordinates and piece movement with this training app. Improve your ability to visualize moves, read notation, and understand square colors. Designed to enhance your chess calculations and potentially boost your rating.

Highlights
  • Identify squares by coordinate
  • Fluid piece movement visualization
  • Translate moves to notation
  • Identify square color
  • Orient on the board
  • Speed up calculation
  • Blind chess practice
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Chess Notation Lab! Are you struggling to identify squares, remember sequences, and follow chess notations? Do you have trouble visualizing Bishop diagonals? Or Knight jumps? Or worse, mapping the available moves for the Queen to get/avoid a deadly fork? This training app is designed to end this misery. There are 2 training modes, each with 5 unique training sessions carefully designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares and fluid piece movement. A small dose of regular practice will empower you to: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Fluidly move any piece around the board, even without a board 3. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation with ease 4. Immediately identify the color of a square 5. Stay oriented regardless of whether you're white or black 6. Follow along with chess tutorials, books, or discussions at ease and comfort 7. Massively speed up your thought process on any calculation 8. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you experience a sudden surge in rating simply by improving your square reading skills. The free version is already effective enough to significantly boost your chess career. However, if you want to support me and get the full version, first of all, thanks!! And then just a one-time purchase will unlock: - Longer time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and Achievements and - Complete visualization of your records - Compete with friends over the complete leaderboards There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive path to mastering squares. The level of comfort you will feel about talking, reading or even thinking about chess is, believe me, just priceless. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app may be less useful for you, and tactics training should be prioritized.

Screenshots

ChessLink App4 screens
Chess Notation Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess Notation Lab at 100% against ChessLink App's 0%. Chess Notation Lab also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). ChessLink App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, ads 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 Notation Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ChessLink App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Notation Lab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of ChessLink App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Notation Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessLink App ships an update every 3 months, Chess Notation Lab every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ChessLink App versus Chess Notation Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessLink AppChess Notation Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (9 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJuergen PrecourNishat Majid

Customer experience

ChessLink App

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral22.2%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Chess Notation Lab

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ChessLink App

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Notation Lab

One-time1
  • Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is ChessLink App free?
ChessLink App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Notation Lab free?
Chess Notation Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ChessLink App or Chess Notation Lab?
Chess Notation Lab is rated higher. ChessLink App averages 4.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Chess Notation Lab averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do ChessLink App or Chess Notation Lab have ads?
Neither ChessLink App nor Chess Notation Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChessLink App or Chess Notation Lab?
ChessLink App ships an update every 3 months, and Chess Notation Lab every 3 days. Most recently, ChessLink App was updated on October 29, 2026 and Chess Notation Lab on October 14, 2026.

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