Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Shogi Wars

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

Shogi Wars

Experience the strategic depth of Japanese chess with this app, offering fast-paced online and offline matches for all skill levels. Earn official diplomas and enjoy a realistic Shogi experience with advanced AI and customizable game modes.

Highlights
  • Online and offline Shogi matches
  • World-class AI opponent
  • Multiple time controls (10MIN, 3MIN, 10SEC)
  • Official rank system (dan/kyu)
  • Apply for official dan diplomas
  • Fancy graphics and performance
Read full description

History of the fastest and the most furious entertaining Shogi begins here! Shogi Wars, officially approved by Japan Shogi Association, is a completely new type of Shogi app with fancy performance, fantastic graphics and the world-class AI. This app defies the common wisdom that Shogi is only meant for certain experts, allowing everyone from a novice to an expert to enjoy speedy match-ups online with different time controls: 10MIN, 3MIN, and 10SEC. The app also provides offline match-ups with computers. And with the rank (dan/kyu) of Shogi Wars, players can apply for Menjo (dan diploma: from 6 dan to 5 kyu) that is also officially approved by Japan Shogi Association. So come and experience a high realistic sensation of Shogi. ■Charge free to 3 battle a day [Subscription] •Premium ¥600 - unlimited play for monthly - kishin •Super Premium ¥960 - unlimited play for monthly - kishin - analysis ticket - voice select on game - play professional shogi player - kishin Quiz •Kishin Learning ¥1200 - Unlimited use of Shogi videos and learning contents - analysis ticket ■About Subscription •Subscription automatically renews monthly. •Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. •Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal •Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. ■How to restore your status of subscription You can restore the status of subscription by logging in with your account at shogiwars. Please log in to iTunes with the same Apple ID as you purchased subscription before playing Shogi Wars. ■How to turned off auto-renewal subscription Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. https://support.apple.com/ja-jp/HT202039 ■Terms and Privacy Policy https://heroz.co.jp/privacy/ https://shogiwars.heroz.jp/wars-terms.html ■Language Japanese English ■Shogi Wars official X account @warsminamin https://x.com/warsminamin ■Inquiry https://support.heroz.jp/shogi_wars/Contact/

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Shogi Wars4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Shogi Wars's 13. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (207K vs 136) and chart position (#55 vs unranked). Shogi Wars's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shogi Wars sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shogi Wars holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 207K ratings behind it against 136, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 47% of Shogi Wars's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Shogi Wars every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Chess ∙ versus Shogi Wars: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Shogi Wars
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (207K ratings)4.7 (136 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.3% of reviews — better46.5% of reviews
Number of ratings207K — better136
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#55 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB318 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCHEROZ

Customer experience

Chess ∙

All ratings204,953 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews2,611 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative36.7%

Shogi Wars

All ratings135 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive46.5%
Neutral7.0%
Negative46.5%

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

Shogi Wars

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Shogi Wars

Subscriptions3
  • Premium (Subscription)2 variants$5.491 Month
  • Kishin Learning (Subscription)$7.991 Month
  • Super Premium (Subscription)2 variants$8.491 Month
One-time7
  • Kishin×1$0.99
  • Pawn toss ticket×1$2.99
  • Premium (30 days)$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Kishin×13$9.99
  • Kishin analysis ticket x 26$9.99
  • Kishin×27$19.99
  • Kishin×166$99.99

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shogi Wars free?
Shogi Wars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Shogi Wars?
Shogi Wars is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 207K ratings, while Shogi Wars averages 4.7 from 136 ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Shogi Wars have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Shogi Wars does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Shogi Wars?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Shogi Wars every 4 weeks. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shogi Wars on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons