Chess ∙ vs Master Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess ∙
Experience a visually appealing and engaging chess game on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Play against friends or a customizable AI opponent with features like undo and automatic saving. Enjoy a free, ad-supported experience.
- 1 and 2 player gameplay
- Challenging computer opponent
- Great graphics and sound
- Configurable difficulty
- Undo function
- Automatic save
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Are you tired of playing chess games that look like they were designed for a Commodore 64 instead of an iPhone? We've got the antidote for you. Chess Free is the best chess game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's free! Chess Free supports both 1 player and 2 player gameplay, so you can play against friends or test your skills against a challenging computer opponent. Chess Free offers a host of exciting features, including: * Great graphics and exciting sound effects * Configurable player names and score tracking * Outstanding AI engine with configurable difficulty level * Board rotation for two player games * Undo function * Automatic save when you get a phone call or exit the application Chess Free is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising. Chess Premium is the same great app without the ads.
Master Chess
Engage in the timeless strategy of chess against AI opponents or players worldwide. Master tactical moves to capture the opponent's king and achieve checkmate. This classic board game offers intuitive drag-and-drop controls for seamless gameplay.
- Play against computer AI
- Compete with real players globally
- Classic chess gameplay
- Intuitive drag-and-drop controls
- Capture the opponent's king
- Achieve checkmate
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Use the most effective strategies to defeat the computer or real players from all over the world in this classic game for all time. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's king. This is done by moving the pieces on the board. Who will be the first to say "Checkmate". To make a move, click on the shape and drag it to the desired position. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess ∙ at 4.5 against Master Chess's 3.1. Chess ∙ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (57% vs 27%). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Master Chess sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 27% of Master Chess's.
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Master Chess every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess ∙ | Master Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205K ratings) — better | 3.1 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews — better | 27.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205K — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #86 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Code This Lab srl |
Customer experience
Chess ∙
Master Chess
Bugs and requests
Chess ∙
Reported bugs
10 issues- Rook being able to move diagonally
- Stalemate glitch where it will preemptively call stalemate before it even happens
- Call stalemate when only the king can't move, and the other pieces can still move
- Pieces move too fast
- Doesn't allow en-passant moves by pawns
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- Refuses to allow legitimate win, claims draw instead
- Doesn't recognize stalemate
- Doesn't recognize checkmate
- Pieces disappearing
- Illegal moves by the AI
Requested features
6 requests- Undo from stalemate
- Highland opponents last move in green and my last move in blue
- Allow a third level of zoom to fill the screen
- Display a numeric value when difficulty slider is moved
- Ability to turn off safety where you can't move king to where it would get taken out
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- Ability to turn off draw by stalemate rule
Master Chess
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess ∙
No in-app purchases
Master Chess
- Chess Subscription$0.991 Month
