Comparison

Chess Genius vs HIARCS Chess

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

HIARCS Chess

This app offers a powerful chess engine for playing, analyzing, and learning chess. It provides adjustable difficulty levels and coaching features to help players of all abilities improve their game. Analyze professional games and track your progress with an Elo rating.

Highlights
  • World Championship winning chess engine
  • Adjustable playing strengths and styles
  • Advanced coaching features
  • Elo rating tracking
  • PGN database support
  • Large tournament book
  • Multiple playing modes
Features
Read full description

HIARCS is a multiple World Championship winning chess program and the only handheld chess program in the world which has won matches and tournaments with Grandmasters. It twice won the Mercusor Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina ahead of Grandmasters with a performance of 2900 Elo, the best chess performance rating for any handheld device in history. In 1997 the World's strongest ever human chess player, Garry Kasparov, said "HIARCS is much better positionally than Deep Blue" and even the current World champion, Vishy Anand, in a recent interview when asked what chess program he uses to analyse with said "generally I use HIARCS". This power enables your iPhone to play chess like a super Grandmaster, analyse games and chess problems with you, or play at whatever weakened chess strength you want from beginner to GM strength while offering numerous features to help you learn and improve as you play with HIARCS. An advanced set of coaching features helps players of all strengths improve their chess play. HIARCS Chess has a full range of realistic weaker opponent strengths and playing styles catering for players of all abilities from absolute beginners to Grandmasters. On the weaker playing levels HIARCS will make human-like mistakes appropriate to the level of play and this together with the integrated coach advice, assessments and alerts allow you to learn and improve quickly. HIARCS also monitors your chess performance and provides you with an Elo chess rating which tracks your chess ability in every game. It can continuously adjust its playing strength to give you challenging but beatable opponents as you improve. HIARCS Chess will save battery life by using much less energy on the weaker levels, allowing more playing time on long journeys etc. HIARCS Chess supports PGN chess game databases and has all the games between Fischer & Spassky and Kasparov & Karpov for you to play through and enjoy. HIARCS has a large tournament book which is up to date with chess theory with over 235,000 variations. The book moves are displayed on screen with chess symbols and the opening variations are named and ECO coded. Key features: + Strongest chess program on iPhone and iPod Touch, genuine strong GM-level performance + Suitable for all players from absolute beginners to strong Grandmasters with many handicap levels and opponents styles and advanced coaching + Intuitive and friendly user interface with multiple high quality pieces set, colour schemes and icons including high res support for iPhone 4 and 5 retina displays + Multiple playing modes: play white, black, both sides in two player mode, continuous analysis and interactive replay + Fully adjustable Elo strengths, adaptive levels and multiple playing levels and opponents + All levels below maximum are low energy to increase battery life + Rates your chess play and gives you an Elo rating which is updated after each game + Advanced coach can provide move options, give hints, indicate move safety and quality highlights and watch your play and warn about mistakes + Transfer PGN databases to/from HIARCS chess via iTunes file sharing, email games and PGN DBs from HIARCS + Launch HIARCS from PGN email attachments + Load, save or delete games to/from PGN databases + Set up or edit a position to analyse or play from + Advanced game navigation with game move slider and VCR buttons for rapid and precise game navigation + Many selectable preset blitz, incremental and average time clock settings for timed play + Large HIARCS tournament opening book as used by the professionals! + Permanent brain for enhanced playing strength + Numerous chess display functions for showing chess moves, analysis, book moves, coach advice, move quality even legal moves, offer draws or resign + 8 Piece sets and 9 colour schemes + Integrated Html manual and help screens A discount coupon is included with a $10 USD discount on other HIARCS products on Mac and PC from www.hiarcs.com.

Screenshots

Chess Genius4 screens
HIARCS Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HIARCS Chess at 4.8 against Chess Genius's 3.9. HIARCS Chess also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (204 vs 10). Chess Genius's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Chess Genius costs $5.99 and HIARCS Chess $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HIARCS Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HIARCS Chess has 204 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Chess Genius's written reviews are positive against 76% of HIARCS Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, HIARCS Chess every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chess Genius versus HIARCS Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess GeniusHIARCS Chess
Price$5.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.9 (10 ratings)4.8 (204 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better75.9% of reviews
Number of ratings10204 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLang Software LimitedApplied Computer Concepts Ltd.

Customer experience

Chess Genius

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral11.2%
Negative9.9%

HIARCS Chess

All ratings199 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral5.9%
Negative18.2%

User reviews

Chess Genius

From 10 App Store ratings

What 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

HIARCS Chess

From 204 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Strong chess engine
  • 👍 Human-like play
  • 🧠 Excellent coaching/analysis features
  • 🔧 Customizable difficulty levels
  • 💾 Saves and loads games well

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Lacks advanced features (PGN import/export, database navigation)
  • 🖼️ Outdated or subpar UI/UX
  • 💤 Slow move animations
  • 🤖 Engine strength may be overstated

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
Show 12 more
  • 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
Show 19 more
  • 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

HIARCS Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on certain iOS versions
  • Discount codes not working
  • Issues with hotspot mode

Requested features

5 requests
  • PGN import/export functionality
  • Advanced database navigation (next/previous game)
  • Endgame tablebase support
  • Improved UI/UX for modern devices
  • More customization options

In-app purchases

None

Chess Genius

No in-app purchases

None

HIARCS Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Genius free?
Chess Genius costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HIARCS Chess free?
HIARCS Chess costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Genius or HIARCS Chess?
HIARCS Chess is rated higher. Chess Genius averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while HIARCS Chess averages 4.8 from 204 ratings.
Do Chess Genius or HIARCS Chess have ads?
Neither Chess Genius nor HIARCS Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Genius or HIARCS Chess?
Chess Genius ships an update every 12 months, and HIARCS Chess every 3 months. Most recently, Chess Genius was updated on October 26, 2026 and HIARCS Chess on October 26, 2026.

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