Chess vs Safari 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.
Safari Chess
Engage in a strategic board game with animal-themed pieces. Challenge friends online or test your skills against AI opponents of varying difficulty. Enjoy smooth graphics, engaging animations, and a polished gameplay experience suitable for all ages.
- Single player AI challenges
- Online multiplayer with friends
- Local 2-player mode
- Customizable emotes
- Collectible achievements
- Cross-platform online play
- Game log and replay
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* 5 Stars Recommended by Tencent Games Play 'Safari Chess' which is also commonly known as Dou Shou Qi, Jungle Chess, or Animals Chess with anyone from all around the world. Play the multiplayer mode online with friends or try the single player mode to challenge and ultimately defeat the Dragon Master. Smooth and appealing graphics, animation suitable for all age groups. With great sound finish to the game, it is definitely a highly polished game and worth checking out. Features: • Single player with multiple difficulty AI levels suitable from beginners to advanced players. • Play live, compete online with friends or anyone from around the world. • Support 2 players to play against each other on the same device. • Custom emotes to express yourself to your friends or opponents alike. • Unique Safari Chess's achievements crests to be collected. • Cross-platform online multiplayer. • Online multiplayer game log and replay.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Safari Chess at Free against Chess's $7.99. Safari Chess also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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
Safari Chess is free to download; Chess costs $7.99 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 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 250 and 88 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 77% of Safari Chess's.
Chess ships an update every 4 months, Safari Chess monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess | Safari Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (250 ratings) — better | 4.4 (88 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews — better | 76.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 250 — better | 88 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Kerrigan | Windigig |
Customer experience
Chess
Safari Chess
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
Safari Chess
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases
Safari Chess
No in-app purchases









