Chess & Variants vs Mini Chess 5x5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 45 chess variations
- Play against AI offline
- Online multiplayer
- Create/join tables
- Invite friends
- Full rules description
- Replay saved games
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* 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
Mini Chess 5x5
Experience a unique chess variant on a 5x5 board. Play against AI with adjustable difficulty or use it as a physical board for two players. Enjoy a streamlined chess experience with simplified rules.
- 5x5 chess board variant
- Play against computer AI
- Multiple AI difficulty levels
- Two-player mode
- Simplified chess rules
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A chess variant on 5×5 board, the simplified version of the classic chess. You can play against the computer (several levels of difficulty) or use the app as a chess board when playing with a partner. Exceptions from the standard chess rules: the pawn double-move and castling are not allowed.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Chess & Variants at 4.1 against Mini Chess 5x5's 3.5. Chess & Variants also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (56% vs 43%). Mini Chess 5x5's advantage is ratings volume (79 vs 14). On price, update cadence, 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. Chess & Variants sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Mini Chess 5x5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Chess & Variants holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Chess 5x5 has 79 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 43% of Mini Chess 5x5's.
Chess & Variants ships an update every 17 months, Mini Chess 5x5 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess & Variants | Mini Chess 5x5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (14 ratings) — better | 3.5 (79 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews — better | 43.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 79 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Every 12 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ACLAP | Golmium |
Customer experience
Chess & Variants
Mini Chess 5x5
In-app purchases
Chess & Variants
- Remove ads$0.99
Mini Chess 5x5
- Mini Chess 5x5 full version$0.99
Questions
Is Chess & Variants free?
Is Mini Chess 5x5 free?
Which has better reviews, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5?
Do Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess & Variants or Mini Chess 5x5?
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