Comparison

Chess Premium vs Chess Tactics and Lessons

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess Premium

Enjoy a classic chess experience without ads or internet. Play against a challenging AI with adjustable difficulty or a friend offline. Features stunning visuals, instant auto-saves, and undo support for uninterrupted gameplay.

Highlights
  • No ads or internet required
  • Adjustable AI difficulty levels
  • Offline two-player mode
  • Stunning Retina display visuals
  • Instant auto-save
  • Undo support and score tracking
Features
Read full description

Chess Premium — The Chess Game Your iPhone Deserves No ads. No internet required. Just chess, beautifully designed for your iPhone and iPad. Whether you're picking up chess for the first time or looking for a worthy opponent at 2am, Chess Premium delivers. Play against a sophisticated AI with adjustable difficulty — from patient teacher to ruthless opponent — or hand the phone to a friend for a classic two-player match. What makes it Premium: • Stunning visuals built for Retina displays — not ported from another era • AI engine that actually challenges you, with difficulty levels that grow with your game • Offline play, always available — no Wi-Fi, no account, no nonsense • Auto-saves instantly when you take a call or switch apps • Undo support, configurable player names, and full score tracking No subscriptions. No ads. Buy once, play forever. Download Chess Premium and play your first game in seconds. ———— Love classic games? Optime makes a full suite of board and card games — including Backgammon Pro, Checkers Premium, and Sudoku. Search ""Optime Software"" to see them all.

About

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Master chess strategy and openings with this app. Practice unlimited tactics, follow detailed lessons, and save your favorite openings. Create your own content and learn from a supportive community.

Highlights
  • Unlimited tactics practice
  • Detailed chess lessons
  • Opening practice and saving
  • Create custom tactics and lessons
  • Learn from mistakes with explanations
  • Community comments and discussion
  • Customizable board design
Features
Read full description

“Chess is 99% tactics” (R. Teichmann.) From beginner to expert, practicing tactics is hands-down the best way to master the game. Play 30,000+ tactics, lessons, and openings while the app adjusts to your ability as you play. Join thousands of users who improve their game with daily tactics. Beginner-friendly, even if you don't know the rules of chess yet. "This app is a must have for any chess player - student or master." -Tom Taylor, USA "This is easily the best purchase I've made since owning a smartphone." -Miles C. Samuels, USA "This app has improved my game tremendously!" - anonymous fandom on the App Store FEATURES - Tactics: Play as many tactics as you want, for free. - Lessons: Get deeper into strategy with detailed lessons including positions from Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit' and the World Championship. - Openings: Practice makes perfect! Save and practice openings from the Grandmasters and more. - Create your own tactics, lessons, and openings for others to try. - Learn from your mistakes with solutions, explanations, and chess engine analysis. - Join the community: comment on tactics and learn from other users. New tactics are added every day, so you'll never run out. ------ Chess Tactics PRO subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. See Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more information. Privacy Policy: https://chesstacticsapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://chesstacticsapp.com/terms.html Acknowledgements: Chess Pieces by jurgenwesterhof on WikiCommons (adapted from work of Cburnett) Icons by bezier master, Cutiecon, and Shawn Wong from the Noun Project.

Screenshots

Chess Premium4 screens
Chess Tactics and Lessons4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess Tactics and Lessons at Free against Chess Premium's $9.99. Chess Tactics and Lessons also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). Chess Premium's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and chart position (#33 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download; Chess Premium costs $9.99 up front. Chess Tactics and Lessons sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Chess Premium asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess Premium against 4.8 for Chess Tactics and Lessons. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.2K and 5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Chess Premium's written reviews are positive against 85% of Chess Tactics and Lessons's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Premium ships an update every 3 months, Chess Tactics and Lessons every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Chess Premium versus Chess Tactics and Lessons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess PremiumChess Tactics and Lessons
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (5.2K ratings)4.8 (5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.3% of reviews85.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.2K — better5K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#33 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB114 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCLockwood Productions, LLC

Customer experience

Chess Premium

All ratings5,179 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews503 reviews
Positive80.3%
Neutral6.2%
Negative13.5%

Chess Tactics and Lessons

All ratings4,985 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews283 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral4.6%
Negative10.2%

User reviews

Chess Premium

From 5.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for practicing chess
  • 🚀 Fast gameplay
  • 💡 Adjustable difficulty levels
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 👍 No ads in premium version

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Issues with detecting checkmate
  • 🐛 Pawns moving incorrectly
  • 🐛 Pieces disappearing from the board
  • 🐛 Slow performance in premium version

Chess Tactics and Lessons

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😃 Great for learning tactics
  • 👍 Enjoyable and addictive
  • 🚀 Excellent training tool
  • 🤗 Helpful for improving chess skills
  • 💯 Best tactics app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy after updates
  • 💰 Subscription model too expensive
  • 🤔 Some tactics are questionable
  • 🙄 Too many queen sacrifices
  • 😣 Difficult to navigate

Bugs and requests

Chess Premium

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Incorrect checkmate detection
  • Pawns moving in illegal ways
  • Pieces randomly disappearing
  • Slow performance after upgrade
  • Ads still showing after purchase

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to turn off stalemate
  • Ability to save and load games
  • Notation or move history display
  • More board and piece theme options
  • Tutorials or strategic tips
Show 1 more
  • Ability to play against friends

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Server connection issues
  • White screen after updates
  • Inability to delete account
  • Incorrect move explanations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save tactics
  • Offline mode
  • Difficulty filtering
  • Improved user interface
  • More comprehensive lessons

In-app purchases

None

Chess Premium

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly PRO Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Marble Chess Board$0.99
  • Orange Chess Board$0.99
  • Remove ads$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Green Chess Board$0.99
  • Enable Saved Puzzles$1.99

Questions

Is Chess Premium free?
Chess Premium costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Tactics and Lessons free?
Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Premium or Chess Tactics and Lessons?
Chess Tactics and Lessons is rated higher. Chess Premium averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.2K ratings, while Chess Tactics and Lessons averages 4.8 from 5K ratings.
Do Chess Premium or Chess Tactics and Lessons have ads?
Neither Chess Premium nor Chess Tactics and Lessons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Premium or Chess Tactics and Lessons?
Chess Premium ships an update every 3 months, and Chess Tactics and Lessons every 5 weeks. Most recently, Chess Premium was updated on October 18, 2026 and Chess Tactics and Lessons on October 19, 2026.

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