Chess HD ∙ vs Chess
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
Engage in classic chess with a feature-rich application. Play against AI across ten difficulty levels, challenge friends locally or online, and hone your skills with thousands of puzzles. Customize your experience with various board and piece styles.
- Play against AI or friends
- 10 difficulty levels
- Online and LAN multiplayer
- 38,000+ chess puzzles
- Customizable boards and pieces
- Load/save games (PGN)
- Thousands of classic games
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A well designed chess app with a lot of powerful features. Features: - Play as white or black, against the computer or a friend. - 10 difficulty levels, from novice to grandmaster. - Support online gameplay. - Support LAN game via bluetooth/Wi-Fi. - Include more than 38000 chess puzzles, divided into 13 collections. - Computer hint and unlimited undo for beginners. - Changeable chessboards and piece sets, 2D/3D piece styles. - Load and save games to PGN files. - Autosaving your current game. - Setup position, intelligent validity check. - Randomly go to any point in the current game. - Provide thousands of classic chess games to download, such as grandmaster games, world championship games. - More functions: handicap, view move list, automatic move playback, etc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess HD ∙ at 4.4 against Chess's 3.1. Chess HD ∙ also leads on ratings volume (8.1K vs 75) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 21 months). Chess's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 12.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Chess HD ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess HD ∙ has 8.1K ratings behind it against 75, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Chess HD ∙'s written reviews are positive against 49% of Chess's.
Chess HD ∙ ships an update every 5 months, Chess every 21 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Chess HD ∙ | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (8.1K ratings) — better | 3.1 (75 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews — better | 48.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8.1K — better | 75 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 5.1.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optime Software LLC | 况 郭 |
Customer experience
Chess HD ∙
Chess
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
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess HD ∙
No in-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases
