Chess ∙ vs Really Bad 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.
Really Bad Chess+
Experience chess with a chaotic twist! This app replaces standard pieces with random assortments, forcing you to rethink strategy. Perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new challenge and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, unpredictable way.
- Random piece assignments
- AI challenges (Ranked, Daily, Weekly)
- Freeplay mode
- Local versus mode
- Daily chess puzzles
- New strategic challenges
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Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. Compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. Compete against your friends locally in versus mode! Warm up every day with our new daily chess puzzle — Knight Hike! ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. -zach
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess ∙ at 4.5 against Really Bad Chess+'s 3.4. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (205K vs 165) and chart position (#86 vs unranked). Really Bad Chess+'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 165, 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 54% of Really Bad Chess+'s.
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Really Bad Chess+ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess ∙ | Really Bad Chess+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205K ratings) — better | 3.4 (165 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews — better | 54.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205K — better | 165 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #86 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
Chess ∙
Really Bad Chess+
User reviews
Chess ∙
From 205K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun to play everyday
- 👍 Good free game
- 👍 Nice little game
- 👍 Very good practice
- 👍 Addictive
Room to improve
- 🐛 AD crazy
- 🐛 Major glitches make the game impossible
- 🐛 Force draw
- 🐛 Issues, needs fixing but has potential
- 🐛 Disappearing Pieces
Really Bad Chess+
From 165 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Innovative concept
- 🤩 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Easy to learn
- 🧠 Improves chess skills
- ✨ Clean UI
Room to improve
- 😠 Unfair AI starting positions
- ⚖️ AI too lucky/strong
- 🚫 No draws (stalemate/repetition)
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 📱 UI scaling issues
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
Really Bad Chess+
Reported bugs
9 issues- App zoomed in, parts of board/UI cut off (recent update)
- Cannot make legal moves
- Game won't allow moves out of check
- AI gets stuck in infinite loops
- Incorrect checkmate detection
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- Pieces glitching
- Cannot undo after checkmate
- App not fitting on iPhone screen
- Menu options cut off
Requested features
10 requests- Add draws by repetition/stalemate
- Option for mirrored pieces
- Tutorial for beginners
- Ability to play online multiplayer
- Option to see solution for daily challenges
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- Mac app availability
- Option to keep board on screen after game
- Adjustable AI difficulty
- More board/theme options
- Animations for piece movement
In-app purchases
Chess ∙
No in-app purchases
Really Bad Chess+
No in-app purchases
