Comparison

Chess Widget vs Openings Mastermind

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

Head to head
About

Chess Widget

This app brings chess puzzles and games directly to your Home Screen. Solve daily puzzles, play against AI, analyze historical games, or even play multiplayer with friends nearby, all without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Home screen chess puzzles
  • Play against AI
  • Analyze historical games
  • Board editor mode
  • Offline multiplayer
  • Daily new puzzles
Features
Read full description

Chess is always close by when you feel like playing, learning something new, or taking a break with a good puzzle. Add Chess Widget to the Home Screen of your iPhone or iPad. Solve puzzles, learn openings, play with friends, and review your games — all at your own pace. MAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR CHESS More than 11,000 puzzles help you practice calculation and spot beautiful combinations. Start with a position in the widget, then open the app to find the solution. Need a hand? Take a hint, then try the puzzle again on your own. UNDERSTAND THE OPENINGS YOU PLAY The Learning section offers 15 opening courses, from the Italian Game and Ruy Lopez to the Sicilian Defense and King's Gambit. Read the explanations, try moves on the board, and discover the ideas behind them. Step-by-step practice, move reviews, and key-position challenges help the lessons stick. Your progress is saved, so you can pick up where you left off whenever you like. PLAY YOUR WAY • Against the computer — choose your side and difficulty, try out ideas, and use hints while you practice. • Online through Lichess — find opponents, play rated or casual games, and choose your time control. • With friends — send challenges, share invitation links, and arrange a rematch. • Side by side — connect two devices and enjoy local multiplayer without an internet connection. Online mode also includes chat, your Lichess profile, ratings, and recent games. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN GAMES Coach mode helps you understand where a game turned and what you could have done better. Open a completed Lichess game, see how your moves were assessed, and find inaccuracies, mistakes, and missed opportunities. Return to a key moment and try to find the best move yourself. Take a hint if you need one, explore a continuation, or keep playing from that position. Evaluation and time-spent charts help you see the whole game. DISCOVER THE MASTERS' GAMES Explore more than 100,000 games by outstanding chess players, from historic classics to games by today's grandmasters. Choose a favorite player, find games by year and opening, and go through them move by move or turn on automatic playback. CREATE YOUR OWN POSITIONS Use the board editor to explore an idea or a position from a book. Arrange the pieces, import and copy positions in FEN format, then play from the position against the computer. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Choose a board color theme and turn sounds on or off. Switch to Zen Mode for a quiet game with fewer distractions. Keep a puzzle or a position from your selected mode close at hand in the widget. A puzzle over coffee, a new opening in the evening, or a game with a friend — find your own reason to come back to chess. Questions or feedback? Write to me at oleg.v.soloviev@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Openings Mastermind

Master chess openings with this app. Import studies, explore with advanced engines, and practice specific lines through repetition. Track your progress and improve your game.

Highlights
  • Import Lichess Studies or PGNs
  • Explore openings with Stockfish 15
  • Practice openings by repetition
  • Smart practice queue
  • Track learning progress
Features
Read full description

Get ready to take your chess game to the next level with Openings Mastermind, the ultimate chess opening app! Some of the features include: - Import Lichess Studies or custom PGNs - Explore openings with Stockfish 17 and the Lichess position database - Practice openings by repetition against your own custom openings database - Take advantage of the smart practice queue and improve your learning - Observe your learning progress in different openings With our app, you can take your opening game to the next level by practicing against the specific lines you want to master. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, our app is the perfect tool to help you improve your opening moves and become a better chess player. Planned Features: - Continue against engine, after study line ends - Analysis of your games from Lichess and Chess.com compared to your openings database

Screenshots

Chess Widget4 screens
Openings Mastermind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Openings Mastermind at none against Chess Widget's 4. Chess Widget's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Widget sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Openings Mastermind asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Widget holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Chess Widget's written reviews are positive against 50% of Openings Mastermind's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Widget ships an update every 2 weeks, Openings Mastermind fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Widget versus Openings Mastermind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess WidgetOpenings Mastermind
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (14 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOleg SolovievChristian Heise

Customer experience

Chess Widget

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Openings Mastermind

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess Widget

One-time4
  • 1 coffee$4.99
  • 2 coffees$9.99
  • 5 coffees$24.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 coffees$49.99
None

Openings Mastermind

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Widget free?
Chess Widget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Openings Mastermind free?
Openings Mastermind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Widget or Openings Mastermind?
Chess Widget is rated higher. Chess Widget averages 4.5 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Openings Mastermind averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Chess Widget or Openings Mastermind have ads?
Neither Chess Widget nor Openings Mastermind shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Widget or Openings Mastermind?
Chess Widget ships an update every 2 weeks, and Openings Mastermind fortnightly. Most recently, Chess Widget was updated on November 3, 2026 and Openings Mastermind on November 3, 2026.

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