Chess Premium vs Chess Jester
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Chess Jester
Engage in serious chess matches with a humorous twist. Features a witty AI commentator, multiple difficulty levels, and both local and online multiplayer options. Customize your game's appearance and share your matches.
- Hilarious AI commentary
- Play against powerful AI
- Local and online multiplayer
- Game import and export (PGN/FEN)
- Real-time browser monitoring
- External display support
- Full customization options
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Chess Jester (Chester) - Serious chess. Silly commentary. Stunning design. Step into the royal court of chess with Chess Jester, a beautifully crafted chess app for iPhone and iPad that mixes serious gameplay with a touch of humor. Whether you're a casual player, a chess enthusiast, or just someone looking to hear a jester mock your moves, Chester delivers a fun and engaging experience. Privacy First: - No data collection, No Tracking, No Accounts, No Ads Features: Hilarious AI Commentary: - Turn your chess games into a comedy act with funny, context-aware narration from Chester the Jester. The commentary can be toggled on or off at any time. Play vs. Powerful AI: - Challenge a robust chess engine with multiple difficulty levels. Whether you're learning the ropes or looking for a tough opponent, Chester adjusts to your skill level. Local Multiplayer (Same Device): - Play over the board with a friend right on your iPhone or iPad, no need for a physical board. Online Multiplayer: - Play online with a friend or a random opponent. Join a game instantly or host one with a unique code. * Hosting requires a one-time in-app purchase. Game Import & Export: - Load a game using a PGN or FEN string, and export completed games in PGN format to share or analyze later. Real-Time Game Monitoring in a Browser: - Spectators can watch your games live in any browser, perfect for events, parties, or classrooms. * Requires a one-time in-app purchase. External Display Support: - Mirror the game on a TV or projector using AirPlay or an HDMI dongle. Perfect for live viewing or teaching sessions. Full Customization: - Change the look and feel of your game with customizable board themes, piece styles, and background options. Supports both light and dark mode. - Choose your color (play as white or black), and fine-tune your experience with adjustable sound, haptic feedback, and AI commentary settings. Chester blends powerful gameplay with a unique personality. It’s elegant when it needs to be, silly when you want it to be, and always ready for a good match. Whether you're learning, competing, or just having fun, Chester makes every move memorable. Terms of Use: - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: - https://chester.justshare.me/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chess Jester at Free against Chess Premium's $9.99. Chess Jester also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Chess Premium's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads 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
Chess Jester is free to download; Chess Premium costs $9.99 up front. Chess Jester sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Chess Premium asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess Premium holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Premium has 5.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Chess Premium's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Jester's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Premium | Chess Jester |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (5.2K ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5.2K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #39 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Erfan Reed |
Customer experience
Chess Premium
Chess Jester
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
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- Ability to play against friends
Chess Jester
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess Premium
No in-app purchases
Chess Jester
- Online Game Play$0.99
- Monitor Game on Web$0.99









