Reconnaissance Blind Chess vs Interactive Chess Books
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reconnaissance Blind Chess
This app offers a unique chess variant where players cannot see their opponent's pieces. Utilize private sensing actions to gather information and strategize your moves. Compete in ranked or unranked games against AI bots.
- Imperfect information gameplay
- Private sensing actions
- Ranked and unranked game modes
- AI bot opponents
- Capture-based win condition
- Time-based win condition
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The Reconnaissance Blind Chess (RBC) variant was invented in 2015 at JHU/APL as an experimentation platform to study artificial intelligence (AI). RBC includes imperfect information, long-term strategy, explicit observations, and very little common knowledge between opponents. In the RBC variant, the opponents cannot see each other’s pieces but can learn about them through private, explicit sensing actions. In unranked RBC games, the player plays with a guest account. They choose their opponent from a list of available bots and select their color (white or black). An unranked RBC game will not affect the player's rating. In ranked RBC games, the player logs in with their RBC account credentials, and their opponent and color are chosen at random. It may take a few seconds to be matched up against an opponent. A ranked RBC game will affect the player's rating. Game Rules: Reconnaissance Blind Chess (RBC) was intentionally designed to keep the game as close to traditional chess as possible while adding an appropriate amount of uncertainty and explicit sensing. RBC is like chess but includes the following core differences: A player cannot see their opponent's pieces. Prior to making each move, a player selects a 3×3 region of the chess board (via green outline on the relevant squares) to “sense” the pieces in that region. The player is informed of the true piece configuration within the sensed 3×3 region. The opponent is not informed about where the player sensed. When a player captures a piece, they are informed (via red outline on the relevant square) that they made a capture, but they are not informed about what piece they captured. When a player's piece is captured, they are informed (via red outline on the relevant square) that their piece was captured, but they are not informed about what piece captured it. There is no notion of check or mate because neither player can be definitively aware of any check relationship. A player wins by capturing the opponent's king or when the opponent runs out of time. Each player begins with a cumulative 15-minute clock to make all their moves. If a player tries to move a sliding piece through an opponent's piece, the opponent's piece is captured and the moved piece is stopped where the capture occurred. The moving player is notified of the square where the piece landed (via red outline on the relevant square), and both players are notified of the capture in the manner stated above. If a player attempts to make an illegal move, such as a pawn diagonally to an empty square, or a pawn forward to an occupied square, or a castle through an interposing piece, they are notified that the move did not succeed and their turn is over. However, castling through check is allowed because the notion of check is removed. There is a "pass" option that a player can select if they prefer to make no move during their turn. A player has access to reserve pieces that they can drag on and off the board to better visualize the state of the board, based on their belief of where their opponent's pieces are located. The turn tracker informs the player when it is their turn to sense and move, and when it is the opponent's turn.
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
The clearest difference is update cadence: Interactive Chess Books at every 4 months against Reconnaissance Blind Chess's every 32 months. Reconnaissance Blind Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. 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 Reconnaissance Blind Chess against 5.0 for Interactive Chess Books. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.
Reconnaissance Blind Chess ships an update every 32 months, Interactive Chess Books every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reconnaissance Blind Chess | Interactive Chess Books |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 32 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory | Eric Tangborn |
Customer experience
Reconnaissance Blind Chess
Interactive Chess Books
In-app purchases
Reconnaissance Blind Chess
No in-app purchases
Interactive Chess Books
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Reconnaissance Blind Chess free?
Is Interactive Chess Books free?
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