Chess Deluxe vs Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Chess Deluxe ships an update every 2 months, Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Deluxe | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (190 ratings) — better | 4.2 (33 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 32.7% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 190 — better | 33 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 178 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicholas Cooke | Van Kien Bui |
Customer experience
Chess Deluxe
Chess
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Chess Deluxe
No in-app purchases
Chess
- 10 Hints Pack$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
- 50 Hints Pack$2.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 150 Hints Pack$6.99








