Comparison

Chess Deluxe vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess Deluxe

Enjoy a classic chess experience with a beautiful interface and adaptive AI. Play against smart opponents, challenge friends locally or online, and track your progress with detailed game history. This app offers a distraction-free environment for pure chess enjoyment across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Smart AI opponents (Easy, Medium, Hard)
  • Local multiplayer (same device)
  • Online matches via Game Center
  • Unlimited undo/redo
  • Move history in Standard Algebraic Notation
  • Light and dark themes
  • iCloud settings sync
Features
Read full description

Experience the timeless game of chess with beautiful design and intelligent gameplay. Chess Deluxe brings the classic strategy game to life with a modern, elegant interface and responsive AI that adapts to your skill level. Whether you're learning your first moves or honing your tactics, enjoy chess exactly how you want to play it - with no ads, no distractions, just pure chess. Play Your Way: - Smart AI opponents with Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties that provide quick, challenging gameplay - Local multiplayer for face-to-face games on the same device - Game Center integration for online matches with friends anywhere - Flexible move controls with unlimited undo/redo and move highlighting - Complete game tracking with move history in Standard Algebraic Notation Beautiful & Intuitive: - Clean, distraction-free interface designed for pure chess enjoyment - Smooth animations and satisfying piece movement - Board rotation for comfortable two-player games - Captured pieces display and game timer with customisable durations - Light and dark themes to match your preference - Crisp sounds that enhance gameplay without interruption Seamlessly Connected: - Settings sync across all your devices with iCloud - Navigate through your game history by selecting any completed move - No advertisements to interrupt your focus - Universal purchase includes iOS, iPadOS, and macOS versions Chess Deluxe is crafted for chess lovers who appreciate thoughtful design and straightforward gameplay. From quick casual games to focused strategy sessions, experience chess the way it should be - simple, beautiful, and always ready when you are.

About

Chess

Practice chess and enhance your strategic thinking with this classic board game app. It offers multiple difficulty levels to play against the computer, a two-player offline mode, and over 1,000 tactical puzzles to solve. Review your games to learn from mistakes and improve your skills.

Highlights
  • Play against computer with 10 difficulty levels
  • Two-player offline mode
  • Over 1,000 chess puzzles
  • Create custom puzzles
  • Game review and analysis
  • 2D and 3D board styles
Features
Read full description

Chess is a classic intellectual board game enjoyed by millions of players around the world. This app helps you practice chess, improve your thinking skills, sharpen tactics, and develop visual memory — anytime, anywhere. Key Features • Play against the computer Choose from 10 difficulty levels, from beginner to very challenging opponents. • Two-player offline mode Play locally with friends on the same device. • Chess puzzles Solve over 1,000 carefully selected puzzles to improve tactical awareness and calculation. • Create your own puzzles Set up positions freely and challenge yourself, friends, or the computer to find the best move. • Game review Review played games to learn from mistakes and improve future performance. • Multiple board styles Switch between clean 2D and immersive 3D chess boards. This chess app is suitable for beginners and experienced players alike. We continuously improve the experience and welcome all feedback.

Screenshots

Chess Deluxe4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess at 83% against Chess Deluxe's 33%. Chess also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17). Chess Deluxe's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Chess is free to download; Chess Deluxe costs $2.99 up front. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Chess Deluxe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Deluxe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Deluxe has 190 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Chess Deluxe's written reviews are positive against 83% of Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Deluxe ships an update every 2 months, Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess Deluxe versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess DeluxeChess
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (190 ratings) — better4.2 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews32.7% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings190 — better33
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1715.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB178 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNicholas CookeVan Kien Bui

Customer experience

Chess Deluxe

All ratings188 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive32.7%
Neutral7.3%
Negative60.0%

Chess

All ratings33 ratings
Positive78.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Chess Deluxe

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • Computer won't let you win
  • Computer moves king to white king
  • Game says won when losing
  • All pieces are black
  • Cannot castle king and rook
Show 23 more
  • Hard version is easy to beat
  • Movements don't feel good
  • Sound isn't good
  • Cannot play online without crashing
  • No way to start a game
  • No play button
  • Unable to use program
  • Doesn't work on iPad
  • Doesn't seem to work on IOS 9
  • Unable to go past add player name screen
  • Game ends with incorrect checkmate
  • Rook unable to move to corner piece
  • Check counted as checkmate
  • Stalemate called incorrectly
  • Computer castles illegally
  • Computer throws pieces away
  • Internet mode doesn't work
  • Cannot find users online
  • King turns into opponent's queen
  • Valid moves blocked
  • Cannot play online without redoing moves
  • Castling doesn't work
  • Cannot resign or remove game

Requested features

8 requests
  • How to record a game
  • Intermediate difficulty level
  • Option to turn off timer
  • See board labels (g column cut off)
  • Board labels visible with pieces
Show 3 more
  • Cross-platform compatibility (iPhone/Mac)
  • Sound effects for piece movements
  • Online play beyond Wi-Fi proximity

Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess Deluxe

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess

One-time4
  • 10 Hints Pack$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • 50 Hints Pack$2.99
Show 1 more
  • 150 Hints Pack$6.99

Questions

Is Chess Deluxe free?
Chess Deluxe costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Deluxe or Chess?
Chess Deluxe is rated higher. Chess Deluxe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 190 ratings, while Chess averages 4.2 from 33 ratings.
Do Chess Deluxe or Chess have ads?
Neither Chess Deluxe nor Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Deluxe or Chess?
Chess Deluxe ships an update every 2 months, and Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess Deluxe was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chess on October 29, 2026.

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