Comparison

Shredder Chess vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Chess

Engage in the classic game of chess with customizable graphics and multiple difficulty levels. Play against AI or a friend, with features like move undo, hints, and time controls. Enjoy a rich chess experience with detailed game history and board customization.

Highlights
  • HD graphics
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Hint option
  • Play against computer or friend
  • 2D and 3D themes
  • Unlimited undo moves
  • Time control options
Features
Read full description

Chess is #1 popular game in the world. According to FIDE, about 600 million people play chess and it is the most widespread game on the planet. "The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions..." (Benjamin Franklin, scientist) Game features: - HD graphics for iPhone 5 and the new iPad retina display - 5 levels of difficulty - hint option to find out the best next move - play either white or black - play against the computer or a friend - 2D and 3D themes for chess pieces - unlimited ability to undo moves - AI quick response time - time control (5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes) - animated moves - highlight legal moves - easy to use interface design - ability to go back to any previous position in the game - auto-save when exit or phone ring - view captured pieces - full game history with chess notation - change the appearance of the board - ability to listen music in background Play one of the oldest and most enjoyable games in the world!

Screenshots

Shredder Chess4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess at Free against Shredder Chess's $8.99. Chess also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (39K vs 97). Shredder Chess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (83% vs 70%). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Chess is free to download; Shredder Chess costs $8.99 up front. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Shredder Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 39K ratings behind it against 97, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Shredder Chess's written reviews are positive against 70% of Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shredder Chess ships an update every 7 months, Chess every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Shredder Chess versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShredder ChessChess
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (97 ratings)4.7 (39K ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews — better70.4% of reviews
Number of ratings9739K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#58 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEiko Bleicher, Skizzix.comVintolo Ltd

Customer experience

Shredder Chess

All ratings97 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews430 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative12.8%

Chess

All ratings38,795 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews567 reviews
Positive70.4%
Neutral11.3%
Negative18.3%

User reviews

Shredder Chess

From 97 App Store ratings

What 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

Chess

From 39K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for beginners
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Helpful puzzles and hints
  • 🎨 Customizable chess sets
  • 🎮 Fun and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy pawn movement
  • 🤖 AI too easy even on hard mode
  • ⏱️ Stalemate issues
  • 💰 Paid hints for puzzles
  • 🔁 Repetitive AI moves

Bugs and requests

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

Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect stalemate detection
  • Pieces disappearing or moving incorrectly
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to replay puzzles
  • Undo/redo move functionality
  • Online/multiplayer mode
  • More advanced AI difficulty
  • Improved stalemate detection

In-app purchases

None

Shredder Chess

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess

One-time4
  • 10 hints$4.99
  • 45 hints$19.99
  • 125 hints$49.99
Show 1 more
  • 200 hints$69.99

Questions

Is Shredder Chess free?
Shredder Chess costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shredder Chess or Chess?
Chess is rated higher. Shredder Chess averages 4.3 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while Chess averages 4.7 from 39K ratings.
Do Shredder Chess or Chess have ads?
Neither Shredder Chess nor Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shredder Chess or Chess?
Shredder Chess ships an update every 7 months, and Chess every 6 weeks. Most recently, Shredder Chess was updated on September 28, 2026 and Chess on September 29, 2026.

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