Chess HD ∙ vs Chess King
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess HD ∙
Experience a visually stunning chess game with excellent graphics and sound effects. Play against a challenging AI or a friend, with features like configurable difficulty, score tracking, and an undo function. Enjoy a free, ad-supported chess experience.
- High-definition graphics and sound effects
- 1-player vs. computer and 2-player modes
- Configurable AI difficulty
- Score tracking and player names
- 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 iPad? We've got the antidote for you. Chess Free HD is the best looking chess game for the iPad, and best of all - it's free! Chess Free HD 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 HD 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 exit the application Chess Free HD is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising.
Chess King
Master the game of chess with this comprehensive learning app. It offers interactive lessons, puzzles, and analysis for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Improve your tactics and strategy with a personal chess trainer, available online and offline.
- 100+ learning courses
- Interactive theoretical lessons
- High-quality, double-checked puzzles
- Personal chess trainer
- Computer analysis
- Offline support
- Chess tasks for kids
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Don't just play chess. Train like a master. Chess King teaches the game the way strong players are actually built — with a rigorous, structured curriculum, not a random feed of puzzles. 147 complete courses take you from your first move to advanced play, step by step. WHY CHESS KING IS DIFFERENT Most chess apps let you play. Chess King trains you. Every course is a real lesson built on classical training methods refined over 30 years — the same approach behind CT-ART, the tactics trainer used by serious players worldwide. You don't just solve a position and move on. Chess King gives you hints when you are stuck, explains the idea behind the right move, and shows you the striking refutation of the mistakes you might make. That is how understanding is built — not memorized. WHAT YOU GET - 147 structured courses covering tactics, strategy, openings, the middlegame, and endgames, organized by level from beginner to master. - Chess King University: 7 guided learning paths and 44 courses that give you a clear, ordered route to real improvement — no guessing what to study next. - Interactive theory: read the lesson, then play the moves on the board yourself. Learning by doing, not just reading. - Thousands of carefully selected exercises with graphic hints and full explanations. - Play against the computer to put what you have trained into practice. - A progress report for every lesson, so you always see how far you have come. TRAIN ON EVERY DEVICE Your subscription, purchases, progress, and rating sync automatically across web, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Train on your phone on the commute, continue on the web at home — your progress follows you. TRY IT FREE Preview courses before you commit. When you are ready, choose a monthly or yearly plan, or buy individual courses to keep forever. Chess King — train like a master. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess HD ∙ at none against Chess King's 10. Chess HD ∙ also leads on ratings volume (8.2K vs 2.5K). Chess King's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (78% vs 54%). On price, ads 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. Chess King sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Chess HD ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Chess King holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.2K and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Chess HD ∙'s written reviews are positive against 78% of Chess King's.
Chess HD ∙ ships an update every 5 months, Chess King every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess HD ∙ | Chess King |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (8.2K ratings) | 4.8 (2.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.4% of reviews | 78.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8.2K — better | 2.5K |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | Chess King |
Customer experience
Chess HD ∙
Chess King
User reviews
Chess HD ∙
From 8.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast gameplay
- 👍 Adjustable difficulty levels
- 💡 Undo feature
- 🎨 Nice graphics and design
- 🧠 Helps improve chess skills
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (illegal moves, pieces disappearing, incorrect checkmate/stalemate detection)
- 💰 Intrusive ads
- 🔒 No option to disable ads even after purchase
- ⏱️ Slow computer moves on higher difficulty
- 🔀 Inability to castle or move pieces as per rules
Chess King
From 2.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Best game in the world
- 👍 Helpful for practice
- 💡 Excellent tutorial and training content
- 🎨 Well-chosen puzzles
- 🧠 Improves pattern recognition and tactics
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive
- 🐛 Crashes on iPhone and iPad
- 🐛 Buggy after recent update
- 🤔 Confusing interface and lack of instructions
- 🤔 Difficult for beginners
Bugs and requests
Chess HD ∙
Reported bugs
5 issues- Pieces disappearing during gameplay
- Incorrect checkmate/stalemate detection
- Computer making illegal moves
- Game freezing or crashing
- Inability to undo after checkmate/stalemate
Requested features
5 requests- Landscape mode support
- Ability to track wins/losses/draws
- More customization options (piece designs, board colors, etc.)
- Tutorials or lessons for beginners
- Multiplayer mode with friends
Chess King
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes on M1 Macs
- Doesnot work with iOS 13 dark mode
- Doesnot show board and pieces in exercises
- Cannot restore purchases
- Doesnot sync progress across devices
Requested features
7 requests- Add dark mode option
- Improve user interface and design
- Add more opening courses
- Provide better explanations for moves
- Allow resetting progress
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- Improve syncing across devices
- Add online chess mode
In-app purchases
Chess HD ∙
No in-app purchases
Chess King
- CT-ART: The Best Tactics7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Chess King University7 Days trial$11.991 Month
- Chess King Courses3 Days trial$11.991 Month
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- Chess King Maximum Pack1 Month trial$17.991 Month
- Chess King Courses3 Days trial$89.991 Year
- Chess King Maximum Pack1 Year trial$119.991 Year
- Chess: From Beginner to Club$12.99
- Chess Tactics for Beginners$12.99
- Chess Opening Blunders$12.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- CT-ART 4.0 (Chess Tactics)$17.99
Questions
Is Chess HD ∙ free?
Is Chess King free?
Which has better reviews, Chess HD ∙ or Chess King?
Do Chess HD ∙ or Chess King have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess HD ∙ or Chess King?
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