Comparison

Chess & Variants vs Mini Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess & Variants

Explore a vast collection of chess variations beyond the classic game. Play against AI offline or challenge real players online with features like saved games and leaderboards.

Highlights
  • 45 chess variations
  • Play against AI offline
  • Online multiplayer
  • Create/join tables
  • Invite friends
  • Full rules description
  • Replay saved games
Features
Read full description

* Open up your Chess horizon * Jocly's Chess Variants is by far the most complete mobile application for playing Chess variations. In addition to regular Chess, it offers 45 variants, all of them featuring: - artificial intelligence to play alone / offline - server connectivity to play real people, create or join tables, invite friends - full rules description - live games are saved and can be replayed - ELO based leaderboard - and many more ... Supported variants: - Classic Chess - XiangQi (Chinese Chess) - Gardner Chess - MiniChess4x4 - MiniChess4x5 - MicroChess - Baby Chess - Malett Chess - Los Alamos - Chess Attack - Courier (Middle-Age Chess) - Makruk (Thai Chess) - Shako (10x10 board with elephants and cannons) - Shatranj - Raumschach (5x5x5) - Glinski Chess (hexagonal) - Brusky Chess (hexagonal) - DeVasa Chess (hexagonal) - McCooey Chess (hexagonal) - Shafran (hexagonal) - Modern circular Chess (on a round board) - Byzantine Chess (on a round board, as played in the Xth century) - 3D Chess (6x8x3) - Cylinder Chess - RollerBall (Chess on an unusual board) - Chess960 (randomized start position) - Metamachy (big board) - Capablanca Chess - Carrera Chess - Gothic Chess - Janus Chess - Grand Chess - Modern Chess - Chancellor Chess - Wildebeest Chess - Smess (give it a try) - Demi Chess (half a regular board) - Romanchenko Chess - Amazon Chess - Duke of Rutland Chess - Gustav III Chess - Hyderabad Chess - Kaiser Chess - SultanGame Chess - Reformed Courier Chess - Tutti-Frutti Chess

About

Mini Chess

Enjoy a simplified, faster version of chess on your mobile device. Play against AI or a friend on a smaller board with fewer pieces. Ideal for beginners and quick matches.

Highlights
  • Simplified 6x6 chessboard
  • Fewer pieces (no knights/bishops)
  • Play against 3 AI levels
  • Local multiplayer mode
  • Quick matches
  • Beginner-friendly
Features
Read full description

The traditional game of chess made easier and quicker, perfect for iPhone and iPad. Download it now for free and start play in just 1 tap! Mini Chess is a modern simplified version of classic chess, perfect for playing on your phone and tablet, on your own, with 3 level of Artificial Intelligence, or with a friend on the same device (multiplayer). Play on a smaller chessboard (6x6), with less pieces (no knights and bishops) and have fun on more speedy matches than classic chess. Play straight away, with friends, online or solo, and every match takes just minutes. Mini Chess is also perfect for kids to start play the all-time-favourite classic board game. Kids and beginners will find it so easy to learn and to enjoy in just 1 tap and experts will love the new challenge of playing in a different setting. Thanks for playing!

Screenshots

Chess & Variants4 screens
Mini Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess & Variants at none against Mini Chess's shown. Chess & Variants also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). Mini Chess's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 17 months). On price, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Chess & Variants sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Mini Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mini Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Chess has 345 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Chess & Variants's written reviews are positive against 83% of Mini Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess & Variants ships an update every 17 months, Mini Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Chess & Variants versus Mini Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess & VariantsMini Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (14 ratings)4.6 (345 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews82.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14345 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperACLAPOutOfTheBit Ltd

Customer experience

Chess & Variants

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

Mini Chess

All ratings345 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral6.1%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral7.3%
Negative9.8%

Bugs and requests

Chess & Variants

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Mini Chess

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Checkmate declared incorrectly with viable moves available
  • Queen positioned on wrong color
  • AI allows illegal moves to prevent player from winning
  • Stalemate not handled correctly
  • Perpetual check rules unfairly favor opponent

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add Knights and Bishops to piece options
  • Alternative piece combinations (2 Rooks + 2 Bishops)
  • Randomized starting positions
  • Landscape mode for iPad
  • Random color assignment (white/black alternation)
Show 5 more
  • Ability to play full traditional chess
  • Create custom board feature
  • Extremely hard difficulty level
  • Physical board version
  • Draw by repetition after 3 moves

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess & Variants

One-time1
  • Remove ads$0.99
1 purchases

Mini Chess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Chess & Variants free?
Chess & Variants is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mini Chess free?
Mini Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess?
Mini Chess is rated higher. Chess & Variants averages 4.1 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Mini Chess averages 4.6 from 345 ratings.
Do Chess & Variants or Mini Chess have ads?
Mini Chess shows ads; Chess & Variants does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess?
Chess & Variants ships an update every 17 months, and Mini Chess every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess & Variants was updated on October 23, 2026 and Mini Chess on October 24, 2026.

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