Chess vs Shredder 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.
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: Chess at 4.7 against Shredder Chess's 4.3. Chess also leads on price ($7.99 vs $8.99). Shredder Chess's advantage is chart position (#109 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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 Shredder Chess $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 97 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 83% of Shredder Chess's.
Chess ships an update every 4 months, Shredder Chess every 7 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess | Shredder Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (251 ratings) — better | 4.3 (97 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.6% of reviews — better | 82.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 251 — better | 97 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #109 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Kerrigan | Eiko Bleicher, Skizzix.com |
Customer experience
Chess
Shredder 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
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
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
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
No in-app purchases
Shredder Chess
No in-app purchases








