Chess vs Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess
This app offers a high-quality chess experience for players of all levels, from beginners to professionals. It features a strong engine, analysis tools, and learning resources to improve your game.
- Simulated human opponents for beginners
- Top-tier chess engine for experts
- Real-time game analysis
- 1 or 2-player game support
- Opening Library and PGN Database
- Position Editor
- Rated games and progress tracking
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tChess Pro is the high-quality, critically acclaimed chess game with the richest features for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It's perfect for every player: Beginners: Not everybody is a chess master! Most chess games are too strong or just make random mistakes at easier levels. tChess Pro has unique algorithms to simulate human opponents. Experts: tChess Pro has a top-tier chess engine. (Over 380 ELO points stronger than Caissa Chess.) Enthusiasts: tChess Pro's Analysis Mode is like having a chess master in your pocket. You can get the engine's "expert opinion" about any game or position in real-time: which side is winning, and the best sequence of moves. Just like a professional desktop chess package. More key features: - Perfect for 1- or 2-player games - Strong computer opponent - Play against any ELO rating from 500 to 2500 - Integrated "Learn Chess" e-book app (Apple Staff Favorite!) - Opening Library feature lets you explore chess opening theory as you play - PGN Database feature lets you download and view PGN files - Support for 3-stage time controls with Fischer increments - Position Editor to enter positions from books, newspapers, etc. - Save and load games; export them in standard PGN format - Use the Profile feature to play rated games against the computer and track your progress tChess Pro is developed by Tom Kerrigan, author of the TSCP and Stobor chess engines.
Chess
Enjoy a classic chess experience on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. This app offers a clean interface, beautiful graphics, and intuitive gameplay perfect for casual players. Play against a computer opponent, review game history, and track your progress.
- 1- or 2-player games on one device
- Tap-to-move piece selection
- Highlights legal moves
- Full game history and move list
- Built-in chess clock
- Get hint feature
- Undo moves
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tChess Lite is the popular chess game designed just for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. tChess is like a virtual chess board on your device. It's fun and easy to use--perfect for the casual player! This game features a very clean UI design and beautiful graphics. tChess is a fast and stable program. Pick up a game in your free time... and there's no problem listening to your music while you play. (tChess Lite is a fully-functional version of tChess for casual chess players. If you're an active player and want enthusiast-level features, take a look at tChess Pro, which is over 1000 ELO stronger and has received rave reviews from Grandmaster Susan Polgar, PE's Chess Cast, and iPhone app critics.) tChess Lite Features: - Perfect for 1- or 2-player games (on the same device, no network connection required) - Tap-tap to move pieces - Highlights legal moves - View full game history in the Move List - Go back or forward move by move and replay completed games - Built-in chess clock - "Get hint" feature to improve your game - Easy to undo moves - Saves your game automatically if you exit the program or take a call - Play against any ELO rating from 500 to 1200 - Computer opponent is the most fun and realistic for beginners and casual players - Use the Profile feature to play rated games and track your progress - Over 15,000 openings for fresh, varied games tChess Lite is developed by Tom Kerrigan, author of the TSCP and Stobor chess engines.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chess at $0.99 against Chess's $7.99. Chess's advantage is ratings volume (251 vs 77). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Chess costs $7.99 and Chess $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess against 4.6 for Chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 77 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 85% of Chess's.
Chess ships an update every 4 months, Chess every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (251 ratings) — better | 4.6 (77 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.6% of reviews — better | 85.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 251 — better | 77 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Kerrigan | Tom Kerrigan |
Customer experience
Chess
Chess
User reviews
Chess
From 251 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Enjoyable and challenging
- 🚀 Plays solid openings and variations
- 👍 Thoroughly enjoyable for novice players
- 👍 Great for beginners and seasoned players
- 👍 Rated games help track progress
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes after updates
- 🐛 Inaccurate rating system
- 🐛 Bright screen background can be tiring
- 🐛 Clunky online game menu
Chess
From 77 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Helpful hints and features
- 🎨 Excellent graphics and visuals
- 🧠 Challenging AI opponent
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Limited difficulty levels
- 🤖 AI can be predictable at times
- 💤 Lack of online/multiplayer options
Bugs and requests
Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when creating annotations
- Zoomed-in screen issue when returning to the app
- Difficulty settings not accurately reflecting the AI's strength
Requested features
6 requests- Add chess puzzles
- Provide more board and piece style options
- Implement a resign feature and draw offer
- Add a move evaluation bar
- Improve the online multiplayer experience
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- Provide a way to organize and navigate through game databases
Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inconsistent pawn movement rules
- Stalemate issues and computer refusing to resign
- Connectivity problems with Game Center
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to set up custom board positions
- More difficulty levels and ELO ratings
- Online/multiplayer functionality
- Notification options for opponent moves
- Chess puzzle/training mode
In-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases






