Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Knight & Castle

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

Knight & Castle

Features
Read full description

Play real chess offline against Stockfish—and understand every move with clear AI feedback. Knight & Castle is a focused chess trainer for players who want a strong opponent, practical move feedback, and a clean board—without an account, matchmaking, or an internet connection. PLAY AND IMPROVE OFFLINE • Play against Stockfish from Beginner to Expert • Choose White or Black • No account or online opponent required • Practice anywhere, even without Wi-Fi or cellular data UNDERSTAND EVERY MOVE After each move, see whether it was a Best Move, Good Move, Inaccuracy, Mistake, or Blunder. Compare your move with the engine’s recommended alternative and find the moment that changed the game. Whether you are learning the rules or sharpening your strategy, Knight & Castle helps you improve at your own pace. ■ Five difficulty levels Choose Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert, and play as White or Black. ■ Move review & AI coach The engine grades every move you make. An on-device AI coach explains in plain language what worked, what did not, and what to focus on next. When the game ends, Game Review summarizes your accuracy, key moments, and the moves that mattered most. ■ Learning mode • Hint: see a recommended move when you are stuck • Undo: take back your last move • Move history: revisit any position • Opening names: recognize the opening you are playing • Share your game: export it as PGN ■ Made for iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo Play in portrait or landscape. On iPhone Duo, fold the device for a board-first view or unfold it for a larger board beside the control panel. ■ More features • Toggle board coordinates (a–h, 1–8) • Resume your game after closing the app • The chess engine runs on your device, so you can play offline The AI coach comments require a device that supports Apple Intelligence. On other devices, the engine still grades each move and shows the recommended alternative.

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Knight & Castle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Knight & Castle at weekly against Chess ∙'s every 4 months. Chess ∙'s advantage is chart position (#61 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Knight & Castle weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Chess ∙ versus Knight & Castle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Knight & Castle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (208K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews56.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings208K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
Best chart rank#61 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB8 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperOptime Software LLCKAZUYUKI TAJIMA

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

Knight & Castle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

None

Knight & Castle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Knight & Castle free?
Knight & Castle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chess ∙ or Knight & Castle have ads?
Both Chess ∙ and Knight & Castle show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Knight & Castle?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Knight & Castle weekly. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on November 9, 2026 and Knight & Castle on November 1, 2026.

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