Comparison

ChessManual vs Chess Combinations

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

Head to head
About

ChessManual

Master the game of chess with interactive lessons, puzzles, and classic game analysis. Suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced players, it offers a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.

Highlights
  • Interactive chess puzzles
  • Games by world champions
  • Classic and modern chess strategies
  • Learn and play quests
  • Kid-friendly lessons
  • Comprehensive step-by-step lessons
  • Checkmate challenges
Features
Read full description

Learn chess in short, focused steps—and turn every idea into a move on the board. ChessManual is an interactive chess book for beginners, kids, parents, and club players who want a clear path from the rules to confident play. Instead of memorizing disconnected positions, you learn an idea, check your understanding, and practice it in a matching puzzle. BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION • Start with the board, piece movement, special rules, and basic checkmates. • Continue through tactics, positional ideas, strategy, openings, and endgames. • Answer quick questions inside lessons to make sure each idea sticks. • Return to reference articles whenever you want to review a concept. PRACTICE ON AN INTERACTIVE BOARD • Solve chess positions grouped by theme and difficulty. • See the goal and the side to move before every puzzle. • Ask for a hint when you need a nudge. • Work through checkmate challenges and practical tactical patterns. • Replay annotated games and learn from the plans of world champions. MAKE DAILY PROGRESS VISIBLE • Track completed lessons and puzzles. • Build a daily learning streak and unlock achievements. • Review your recent practice activity. • See accuracy and hint-use trends from your own moves. KNOW WHAT TO PRACTICE NEXT ChessManual turns your practice history into useful direction. Detailed Insights can highlight weak themes, compare performance by topic and difficulty, and recommend matching puzzles—so your next session starts with a clear goal. CHESSMANUAL PRO Upgrade when you are ready for: • Unlimited hints • Detailed progress and weak-topic insights • Personalized puzzle recommendations • Streak recovery without watching an ad • An ad-free learning experience The app is free to download and includes an optional ChessManual Pro subscription. Prices, billing periods, and any introductory offer are shown in the app before purchase and may vary by storefront. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in your App Store account settings. Learn more and get support: https://slazarenko.com/apps/chess-learn-and-play/ Advertising information: https://slazarenko.com/app-ads.txt Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://slazarenko.com/privacy/

About

Chess Combinations

Read full description

The application offers solving chess problems, divided into sections by openings and their variations or types of tactical techniques. The goal of each task is to find a combination to mate the king, achieve an advantage, and win pieces. In most sections of the application, after solving each problem, you can see the entire chess game from which the position was obtained.

Screenshots

ChessManual4 screens
Chess Combinations4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Combinations at none against ChessManual's shown. Chess Combinations also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16). On price, 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. ChessManual sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Chess Combinations sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, Chess Combinations every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ChessManual versus Chess Combinations: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessManualChess Combinations
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergei LazarenkoMaksim Kolosov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ChessManual

Subscriptions2
  • ChessManual Pro Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • ChessManual Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
23 purchases

Chess Combinations

One-time23
  • Knight forks$1.99
  • Sacrifice on e6$3.99
  • Scandinavian Defense (white)$4.99
Show 20 more
  • Italian Opening, black pieces$4.99
  • Queen Sacrifice$4.99
  • Caro-Kann (white pieces)$4.99
  • Sicilian Defense (Dragon)$5.99
  • Sicilian Defense (Najdorf)$5.99
  • Italian Opening, white pieces$5.99
  • Scandinavian Defense$5.99
  • Classic Caro-Kann$5.99
  • Sicilian Defense (Paulsen)$5.99
  • Sicilian Defense, white pieces$5.99
  • Scottish Gambit$5.99
  • Budapest Gambit$6.99
  • Grob's Attack$6.99
  • Slav Defense$6.99
  • Ruy Lopez Opening$6.99
  • London System$6.99
  • King's Indian defense$6.99
  • Queen's Gambit, black pieces$6.99
  • Catalan Opening$7.99
  • King's Gambit$8.99

Questions

Is ChessManual free?
ChessManual is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Combinations free?
Chess Combinations is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ChessManual or Chess Combinations have ads?
ChessManual shows ads; Chess Combinations does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessManual or Chess Combinations?
ChessManual ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Combinations every 2 weeks. Most recently, ChessManual was updated on October 19, 2026 and Chess Combinations on October 3, 2026.

Other comparisons