Warlord Chess Lite vs Really Bad Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Warlord Chess Lite
A chess variant for 2-4 players with familiar pieces and moves, enhanced by special board spaces and visual effects. Offers AI challenges and local play for mixed skill levels.
- 2-4 player chess variant
- Familiar pieces and moves
- Special board spaces with unique moves
- 3 levels of AI opponents
- Local multiplayer with friends
- Team play (2 vs. 2)
- Undo and confirm move options
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Warlord Chess is a stunning chess variant for 2 to 4 players. The pieces and their moves will be familiar to anyone that has played standard chess, which makes this an ideal game for players of all skill levels. Certain spaces on the board allow pieces to make special moves, some of which are simply mind-blowing. Special visual effects and sounds enhance play. You can play locally with friends or challenge yourself against 3 levels of artificial intelligence. You can play alone or in teams of 2 vs. 2. If you like chess or chess variants, you can hardly afford to miss out on Warlord Chess. But I don’t know 4 good chess players... Don’t worry! Using the unique tabletop interface, you can select games with 2, 3, or 4 players in them. You can add computer/AI players as needed. Most importantly, because of the nature of the game, people of mixed skill levels can enjoy playing together. You don’t need to be a chess star to have fun with Warlord Chess. In a 4-player free-for-all, the best player does not necessarily win! That is a crazy looking board... That’s true! It needed to be to fit 4 full armies. Plus, it allowed us to add special spaces that make for some incredible moves. The Chaos Symbol: the symbol in the center of the board gives a special move to Pawns, Kings, and Knights. If one of those pieces begins its move from one of the spaces touched by the symbol – then they can begin their move *from* any one of those spaces. This helps the Pawn and King a bit…but it works wonders for the Knight. Don’t believe us? Just look at the screenshots below! The Castle: each player begins with their army surrounding their castle. A castle is made up of three spaces known as The Throne, the Great Hall, and the Courtyard. These spaces enhance the way the Bishop, Rook, and Queen move. Beware the Queen in the Courtyard! But I’m Just Learning/No Good at Chess/Easily Confused... Then we have the *perfect* chess game for you. The interface was designed for everyone. Just touch a piece to see all the moves it can possibly make. Then tap the space you want it to move to. If you don’t like it you can Cancel that move and try another. When you are sure of your move, you can press a button to Confirm it. If you need practice, play a local game against a single opponent and set the AI to Easy. Increase the difficulty and number of players as you get better. You can even play team games and learn from your partner. There are so many options! What Have You Got For Us Experienced Players? We’ve got a lot. If you are *very* familiar with chess, then Warlord Chess will provide you with a brand new challenge. It is nearly impossible to control a board this big, especially against 3 players who are out to get you. So good luck with that. You can set the AI to “Hard” in order to play against opponents that can see multiple moves ahead. We’ve also provided you with tools for analyzing your Warlord Chess games. You can save and load up to five games. With our Rewind, Forward, Start, and End buttons you can move through those games step-by-step so you can figure out why you lost, brainstorm some killer new moves, or relive past glories. What Else Have You Got? We’ve got a board that hovers and rotates over a roaring field of flame. We’ve got special attacks for each of the four colors in the game. We’ve got Secret Passages and a cool scoring system. And we’ve got more on the way. Enjoy! http://warlordchess.com http://hammerdog.com http://bddig.com
Really Bad Chess
This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.
- Randomized chess piece sets
- AI opponent challenges
- Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
- Freeplay practice mode
- Local multiplayer (with IAP)
- Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
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Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Warlord Chess Lite at none against Really Bad Chess's 2. Warlord Chess Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 15.0). Really Bad Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 13). On price 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
Both are free to download. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Warlord Chess Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.
Really Bad Chess holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Really Bad Chess has 1.6K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Warlord Chess Lite's written reviews are positive against 46% of Really Bad Chess's.
Warlord Chess Lite ships an update every 8 months, Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Warlord Chess Lite | Really Bad Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (13 ratings) | 3.8 (1.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.0% of reviews | 46.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 1.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BD Digital Inc. | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
Warlord Chess Lite
Really Bad Chess
Bugs and requests
Warlord Chess Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Really Bad Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect checkmate detection
Requested features
5 requests- Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
- Implement online/multiplayer mode
- Provide more difficulty settings
- Allow custom piece arrangements
- Sync progress across devices
In-app purchases
Warlord Chess Lite
No in-app purchases
Really Bad Chess
- 100 Undos$0.99
- Full Game Unlock$3.99
Questions
Is Warlord Chess Lite free?
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess?
Do Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess?
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