Chess ∙ vs Chess960 ™
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.
Chess960 ™
Experience a unique chess variant where the starting position of pieces changes with each game. Test your strategic thinking with fresh challenges and play against AI or friends. Customize your game with different themes and join a growing community.
- Randomized starting positions
- Play against AI or friends
- Progress from beginner to pro
- Customizable pieces and boards
- Community sharing and leaderboards
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Welcome to Chess960: Fresh Moves, a new twist on the classic chess game you can play on your phone. This game changes up the starting line-up of the chess pieces, making every match different and exciting. Bobby Fischer, a famous chess player, came up with Chess960 in the late 1990s. He wanted to make chess fun again by mixing up where the pieces start. This means players need to think of new strategies every time they play, not just remember old moves. What's Cool About Chess960: Fresh Moves? New Challenges: Every game feels like a new puzzle because the pieces start in different spots. Play Your Way: Battle against the game or play with friends and family. Climb from beginner to pro by winning games. Make It Yours: Pick your favorite chess pieces and boards. Change the game's look and sounds to match what you like. Join the Crowd: Share your wins and join a community of Chess960 fans. See how you stack up against others. Chess960: Fresh Moves is all about discovering new ways to play and have fun with chess. Download it now and start exploring a whole new chess world!
Screenshots
Verdict
Chess ∙ and Chess960 ™ both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 0% of Chess960 ™'s. Chess ∙ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (205K vs 61). Chess960 ™'s advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. Chess960 ™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Chess ∙ against 4.4 for Chess960 ™. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 61, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 0% of Chess960 ™'s.
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess960 ™ every 10 months. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess ∙ | Chess960 ™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205K ratings) — better | 4.4 (61 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205K — better | 61 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #82 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | VM Mobile Team |
Customer experience
Chess ∙
Chess960 ™
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
Chess960 ™
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess ∙
No in-app purchases
Chess960 ™
- Premium$3.99
