Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess ◧

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 ◧

Engage in classic chess matches on your iPhone or iPad. Play against a computer with adjustable difficulty, challenge a friend in two-player mode, or utilize helpful features like move undo and hints. Enjoy an attractive user interface for a smooth gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Play against computer
  • Two player mode
  • Adjustable computer strength
  • Undo moves
  • Hint option
  • Attractive UI
Features
Read full description

FREE Chess game for the iPhone and iPad FEATURES - Play agains the computer - Two player mode - Change computer strength - Undo moves - Rotate board - Hint option - Attractive UI --------------------------------------------------- TAPMEDIA PRO SUBSCRIPTION - You will receive access to the apps in the TapMedia PRO bundle for the duration of the subscription. - Subscription length: Monthly (includes one week free trial). - Subscriptions with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. - Payments will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - All prices are subject to change without notification. We occasionally run promotion prices as incentives or limited time opportunities for qualifying purchases made during the promotional time period. Due to the time sensitive and promotional nature of these events, we are unable to offer price protection or retroactive discounts or refunds for previous purchases in the event of a price reduction or promotional offering. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription - You may cancel a subscription during its free period via the subscription setting through your iTunes Account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4098 Privacy Policy: http://tapmedia.co.uk/privacy.htm Terms of Use: http://tapmedia.co.uk/terms.htm

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess ◧3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess ◧'s 2. Chess ∙ also leads on ratings volume (205K vs 410) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 12 months). Chess ◧'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, review sentiment 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. Chess ◧ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 410, 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 53% of Chess ◧'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess ◧ every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess ◧: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess ◧
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings) — better4.3 (410 ratings)
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews — better52.9% of reviews
Number of ratings205K — better410
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#76 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB64 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCTapMedia Ltd

Customer experience

Chess ∙

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

Chess ◧

All ratings410 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral14.7%
Negative32.4%

User reviews

Chess ∙

From 205K App Store ratings

What 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

Chess ◧

From 410 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to play
  • 👍 Highly entertaining
  • 👍 Strong and flexible chess engine
  • 👍 Gameplay is human-like
  • 👍 Great for avoiding opening traps

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Two player mode broken
  • 🐛 Program is impenetrable for beginners
  • 🐛 Hints lead to losing
  • 🐛 Board color changed to brown
  • 🐛 Too many ads

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 ◧

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Two player mode doesn't work
  • Choosing '2 Player' does nothing
  • Many glitches
  • Cannot move a piece and make a change with king and tower
  • Slaughters battery life

Requested features

4 requests
  • Fix two player mode
  • Option to change board color back to black and white
  • Make the game easier for beginners
  • Allow viewing opponent's pawns

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess ◧

Subscriptions1
  • TapMedia PRO - 1 Month3 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess ◧ free?
Chess ◧ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess ◧?
Chess ∙ is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess ◧ averages 4.3 from 410 ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess ◧ have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess ◧ does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess ◧?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess ◧ every 12 months. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on October 2, 2026 and Chess ◧ on August 30, 2026.

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