Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess Coach Lite

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 1 and 2 player gameplay
  • Challenging computer opponent
  • Great graphics and sound
  • Configurable difficulty
  • Undo function
  • Automatic save
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Chess Coach Lite

Enhance your chess abilities with a curated selection of puzzles focused on attacking strategies and tactical plays. Explore opening theories and begin your self-study journey today.

Highlights
  • Thematic chess puzzles
  • Attacking strategy practice
  • Tactical strike training
  • Opening theory exploration
  • 14 advanced study sections
  • Customizable color themes
  • In-puzzle hints
Features
Read full description

Improve your chess skills with a thematic collection of chess puzzles. Check your skills in solving puzzles on the theme of attacking strategy against the king and tactical strike. Get acquainted with the positions of pieces in the theory of openings. Start self-study right now! PLAY FOR VICTORY - Checkmate your opponent, choosing from the thousands of possible variants one right move - Find an unexpected sacrifice and get an advantage over another player - Take advantage of the experience of millions of real players in the openings of King's Gambit or the Queen's Gambit Accepted - Get the maximum number of points on the chess board simulator in 30 seconds FEATURES - 14 special sections provide the advanced study - 5 color themes for individual customization - Hints in each puzzle help you - Classic 2D design, loved by several generations of players Download the app "Chess Coach Lite" and solve puzzles regularly. Please rate the app 5 stars and write your comment. Your feedback will help make the app better. We wish you a pleasant game, Team KemigoGames.

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess Coach Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Coach Lite at none against Chess ∙'s shown. Chess Coach Lite also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 57%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Chess ∙'s advantage is ratings volume (205K vs 6) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 71% of Chess Coach Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess Coach Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess Coach Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings) — better4.2 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#82 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCIgor Zelka

Customer experience

Chess ∙

All ratings204,953 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews2,579 reviews
Positive56.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative36.1%

Chess Coach Lite

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

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
Show 5 more
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Ability to turn off draw by stalemate rule

Chess Coach Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

None

Chess Coach Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Coach Lite free?
Chess Coach Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess Coach Lite?
Chess ∙ is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess Coach Lite averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess Coach Lite have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess Coach Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess Coach Lite?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess Coach Lite every 4 months. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chess Coach Lite on September 17, 2026.

Other comparisons