Chess Genius vs Shredder Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess Genius
This award-winning chess program offers superb playing strength with hundreds of levels for all skill sets. It features a clear interface, displays game analysis, and allows for saving, loading, and sharing games. Enjoy features like hints, legal move displays, and unlimited take-backs.
- Hundreds of playing levels
- Displays thinking and analysis
- Save/load games in PGN format
- Hint and Tutor features
- Unlimited take back
- 2 player and self-play modes
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ChessGenius, award winning chess program. Superb playing strength. The author's chess programs have won ten World Championships. Packed with features for beginners and experts: * Simple, elegant user interface * Powerful, compact and fast * Hundreds of playing levels including easy, blitz and tournament levels. Network connection not required * Displays thinking. Who is winning, by how much and the moves that ChessGenius is planning. Also Chess clocks, Captured pieces and Opening name. e.g. B12 Caro-Kann * Save/load games in PGN format. Send games by email. Set-up position * Easy import / export of PGN database files with iTunes file sharing * Hint, Show legal moves and Tutor. ChessGenius can warn if a blunder/weak move is played and give the option of take back * Unlimited take back and step forward * Play against ChessGenius. Also 2 player, self play and analysis mode * Optional display of captured pieces and count of positions searched * Game is restored after exit and restart * All functions work in Portrait and Landscape
Shredder Chess
Engage in chess matches against a world champion AI, analyze your games, and solve numerous chess puzzles. This app offers adjustable difficulty and human-like play, helping you improve your skills anytime, anywhere.
- Play against adjustable AI strength
- Analyze games and identify mistakes
- Solve 1000 built-in chess puzzles
- Mimics human playing styles
- Automatic strength adjustment
- In-game coach for mistakes
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Play better chess with Shredder Chess - the classic chess opponent, trainer and analysis partner for iPhone. Shredder gives you a chess opponent that adapts to your level, from casual beginner to strong club player. Play a quick game, solve tactics, get warned before mistakes and analyze your games to understand where you can improve. Whether you want to learn chess, sharpen your tactics or simply enjoy a good game, Shredder helps you make every move count. Why chess players choose Shredder: • Adaptive playing strength from beginner to master level • Optional auto-adjusting opponent that matches your play • Built-in coach that warns you before mistakes • 1,000 chess puzzles for tactics training • Game analysis to find mistakes and improve your play • Estimated Elo rating with progress diagram • Human-like playing styles, from passive to aggressive • Opening book with more than one million moves • Set up and analyze any position • Save games, share them by email and review later • Multiple boards and pieces • VoiceOver and accessibility support The Shredder chess programs have won 19 World Computer Chess Champion titles, making Shredder one of the most successful names in computer chess. Play a game. Solve a puzzle. Analyze your moves. Get stronger with Shredder Chess.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shredder Chess at 4.3 against Chess Genius's 3.9. Shredder Chess also leads on ratings volume (97 vs 10) and chart position (#41 vs unranked). Chess Genius's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $8.99) and device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment, 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
Chess Genius costs $5.99 and Shredder Chess $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shredder Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shredder Chess has 97 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Chess Genius's written reviews are positive against 83% of Shredder Chess's.
Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, Shredder Chess every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Genius | Shredder Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 3.9 (10 ratings) | 4.3 (97 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | 82.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 97 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 7 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #41 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lang Software Limited | Eiko Bleicher, Skizzix.com |
Customer experience
Chess Genius
Shredder Chess
User reviews
Chess Genius
From 10 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💪 Strong chess engine
- 🧠 Good for learning and practice
- ✨ Classic and well-established program
- 👍 Simple and effective interface
- 🚀 Fast performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📉 Outdated graphics
- 🐌 Slow updates
- ⚠️ Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- ❓ Confusing interface/menus
Shredder Chess
From 97 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent chess engine
- 👍 Adjustable difficulty level
- 🎨 Great graphics and interface
- 💡 Helpful puzzles and analysis
- ⚖️ Accurate ELO rating system
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Lack of online play and multiplayer
- 🔍 Limited opening book and game database
- 📏 Issues with screen size and layout on larger devices
Bugs and requests
Chess Genius
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes frequently, especially when ending games
- Cannot access settings
- App crashes when starting new game or changing settings
- Not working with iOS 17
- Not working with iOS 14.3
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- Not working with iOS 6
- Menu buttons not working
- No menus appear after a game
- Opening names are incorrect
- Graphical issues (low-res, contrast issues)
- Pieces are cut off in landscape mode
- App feels buggy when moving pieces
- No ELO selection
- No strong selection
- Design for iPad is terrible
- Next best move feature sometimes unavailable
- Rule flaw: King can castle after being in check
Requested features
24 requests- Update for iOS compatibility
- Refresh and update the app
- Take advantage of iOS file app features
- Specify opening repertoire training
- Don't let playing style be trainer/hint man
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- Improve graphics and piece sets
- Add ELO rating selection
- Add more opening book content
- Implement gesture controls (swipe for undo/redo)
- Add audible check/checkmate sounds
- Add opponent faces to computer levels
- Support for PGN download via email/internet
- Improve landscape mode functionality
- Add more analysis functions
- Add board coordinates display
- Add rating estimator
- Add more time control options
- Option to disable auto screen off
- Option to show captured pieces
- Option to auto-flip board in two-player mode
- Mac version of desktop program
- Dark mode option
- More board colors and piece sets
- Online play functionality
Shredder Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when loading new games
- Incorrect move evaluation and scoring
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Add online/multiplayer functionality
- Expand game database and opening library
- Improve interface for larger screens
- Provide more detailed analysis and coaching
In-app purchases
Chess Genius
No in-app purchases
Shredder Chess
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Chess Genius free?
Is Shredder Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Chess Genius or Shredder Chess?
Do Chess Genius or Shredder Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess Genius or Shredder Chess?
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