Comparison

Chess vs 3D Chess Game

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

3D Chess Game

Experience chess in a realistic 3D environment with customizable boards and sets. Challenge yourself with 25 difficulty levels, analyze games move-by-move, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Perfect for both beginners and experienced players.

Highlights
  • Realistic 3D graphics and animations
  • 25 adjustable AI difficulty levels
  • Customizable chess sets and boards
  • Game analysis and editing
  • Detailed player statistics
  • Tournament mode
  • Position editor
Features
Read full description

Play Chess against the computer, in 3D! It feels like playing on a real chessboard and supports human vs computer, computer vs computer, human vs human. - 25 different levels carefully tweaked to challenge you gradually while you progress - Or just pit different A.I. levels against each other and watch! - Realistic 3D models, animations and sound effects - Customizable chess set and chessboard colors (including metal effect!), with 12 presets - Examine any game back and forth, move by move! Edit, resume etc. - Timed and untimed modes with no-penalty undo/redo option - Track your progress from every angle with detailed statistics - Tournament mode with untimed matches against simulated opponents that are calibrated to your skills, are always available, move immediately and never cheat! - Ability to manually edit and play any position, including unusual ones like all knight pieces, multiple kings, no kings etc! - Option to hide valid moves markers, last move trail markers and thinking A.I. markers - Never played Chess before? Quick start tutorial included! - No in-app purchases, not a demo, no locked options!

Screenshots

Chess4 screens
3D Chess Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 3D Chess Game at Free against Chess's $0.99. 3D Chess Game also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 77). Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#177 vs unranked). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

3D Chess Game is free to download; Chess costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Chess against 4.6 for 3D Chess Game. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 3D Chess Game has 3.5K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 76% of 3D Chess Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 5 months, 3D Chess Game every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess versus 3D Chess Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess3D Chess Game
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (77 ratings)4.6 (3.5K ratings)
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews — better76.3% of reviews
Number of ratings773.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
Best chart rank#177 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB11 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTom KerriganA Trillion Games Ltd

Customer experience

Chess

All ratings77 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews268 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral8.2%
Negative6.7%

3D Chess Game

All ratings3,536 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews257 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral5.4%
Negative18.3%

User reviews

Chess

From 77 App Store ratings

What 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

3D Chess Game

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent graphics
  • 👍 Customizable settings
  • 🎮 Great for learning and improving chess skills
  • 🎨 Ability to change piece and board colors
  • ⏱️ Challenging AI at higher levels

Room to improve

  • 🐛 AI makes illegal moves at times
  • 🔍 Obtrusive in-game menus
  • 📺 Intrusive ads
  • 🔒 Concerns about data sharing
  • 🕹️ Unresponsive controls and buttons

Bugs and requests

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

3D Chess Game

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • AI makes multiple moves in a single turn
  • Game incorrectly declares checkmate or draw
  • Crashes and resets after certain actions
  • Piece movement issues and inability to make valid moves

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add online multiplayer mode
  • Implement move history and game analysis
  • Allow pawn promotion to other pieces
  • Improve castling functionality
  • Add background music option

In-app purchases

None

Chess

No in-app purchases

None

3D Chess Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 3D Chess Game free?
3D Chess Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess or 3D Chess Game?
Chess and 3D Chess Game are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 77 and 3.5K ratings respectively.
Do Chess or 3D Chess Game have ads?
3D Chess Game shows ads; Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or 3D Chess Game?
Chess ships an update every 5 months, and 3D Chess Game every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 18, 2026 and 3D Chess Game on October 16, 2026.

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