Chess ∙ vs Mini Chess 5x5
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.
Mini Chess 5x5
Experience a unique chess variant on a 5x5 board. Play against AI with adjustable difficulty or use it as a physical board for two players. Enjoy a streamlined chess experience with simplified rules.
- 5x5 chess board variant
- Play against computer AI
- Multiple AI difficulty levels
- Two-player mode
- Simplified chess rules
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A chess variant on 5×5 board, the simplified version of the classic chess. You can play against the computer (several levels of difficulty) or use the app as a chess board when playing with a partner. Exceptions from the standard chess rules: the pawn double-move and castling are not allowed.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess ∙ at 4.5 against Mini Chess 5x5's 3.5. Chess ∙ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (205K vs 79). Mini Chess 5x5's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Mini Chess 5x5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 79, 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 43% of Mini Chess 5x5's.
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Mini Chess 5x5 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess ∙ | Mini Chess 5x5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205K ratings) — better | 3.5 (79 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews — better | 43.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205K — better | 79 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| 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 |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Golmium |
Customer experience
Chess ∙
Mini Chess 5x5
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
Mini Chess 5x5
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess ∙
No in-app purchases
Mini Chess 5x5
- Mini Chess 5x5 full version$0.99
