Comparison

Simple chess board vs Classic chess

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

Head to head
About

Simple chess board

This app provides a digital chessboard with unrestricted piece movement and a configurable chess clock. Save and load board positions, undo/redo moves, and even use checker pieces. It's ideal for analyzing games or setting up custom scenarios.

Highlights
  • Free piece movement
  • Undo/Redo functionality
  • Board rotation
  • Checker piece option
  • Save/load positions
  • Configurable chess clock
  • Tweet current position
Features
Read full description

A simple chess board and a chess clock without movement restrictions. Free movement as a real board. Current features are: • Move pieces freely, add or remove them. • Undo/Redo last movement. • Rotate board and/or pieces. • Use checkers game pieces. • Save/load positions for later use, or delete them when you don't need them anymore (swipe over them). Starting positions for chess and checkers are available. • Use a chess clock where you can configure initial time, move time increment, increment after a number of movement, hourglass time, ... • Set time independent for black and white if required. • Save/load time settings for later use. Already available some common times. • Tweet your current position.

About

Classic chess

Learn chess rules intuitively with easy-to-understand explanations. Play against an AI with adjustable difficulty levels, from beginner to advanced. Choose between immersive 3D graphics or clear 2D views to suit your playstyle and mood.

Highlights
  • Intuitive rule explanations
  • Adjustable AI difficulty
  • 3D and 2D board options
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

□■ Because it is an application! easy to understand explanations of rules! Rules are easier to understand intuitively than books and websites! I understand the rules necessary to play chess. Beginners who are going to start from now are also recommended for chess applications for those who want to check the rules! □■ AI with wide difficulty level is installed! AI equipped to be able to play from beginner to advanced! You can feel better progress as the level is divided finely. We will also install a stronger level of AI in future updates. □■ 3D and 2D correspondence! In 3D mode you can play chess while enjoying the atmosphere with beautiful graphics. In 2D mode, the piece information is easy to understand, and it is easy to confirm the war situation. Because you can choose your favorite mode, you can also use it properly according to your mood! ◆ Update schedule Adjustment of direction and operation feeling Addition of CPU AI Implementation of additional functions such as ranking ◆ When making inquiries, please contact us from the inquiry form within this application. BGM : Pocket Sound - https://pocket-se.info/

Screenshots

Simple chess board4 screens
Classic chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Classic chess at none against Simple chess board's 1. Classic chess also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). Simple chess board's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Simple chess board sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Classic chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Simple chess board against 4.4 for Classic chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 74 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Simple chess board's written reviews are positive against 65% of Classic chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple chess board ships an update every 10 months, Classic chess every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Simple chess board versus Classic chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple chess boardClassic chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (68 ratings) — better4.4 (74 ratings)
Positive reviews88.2% of reviews — better64.7% of reviews
Number of ratings6874 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB146 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuis LopezCross Field Inc.

Customer experience

Simple chess board

All ratings68 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral3.9%
Negative7.8%

Classic chess

All ratings74 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral8.1%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple chess board

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Keyboard not appearing to enter text/save
  • Cannot figure out how to save position
  • Pieces shift on their own
  • Kings and queens on wrong squares initially
  • Save position fails with 'You must insert text' error
Show 2 more
  • App froze mid-game
  • Write a review tab has trouble

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add scoresheet functionality
  • Export game for analysis
  • Move counter
  • Portrait view on iPad
  • Board expansion to fill screen
Show 15 more
  • Ability to turn board around
  • More board color options
  • Option to hide timers
  • PGN save and import facility
  • PGN export
  • Chess notation feature
  • Larger board size (optional timers)
  • Change chess set for better viewing
  • Fix 'write a review' tab issue
  • Delete saved games/setups easily
  • Better graphics
  • More realistic piece movement enforcement
  • Improve piece dragging and selection
  • Make piece representations larger
  • Add variations

Classic chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple chess board

One-time1
  • Remove ads$0.99
None

Classic chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple chess board free?
Simple chess board is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Classic chess free?
Classic chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Simple chess board or Classic chess?
Simple chess board is rated higher. Simple chess board averages 4.5 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Classic chess averages 4.4 from 74 ratings.
Do Simple chess board or Classic chess have ads?
Both Simple chess board and Classic chess show ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple chess board or Classic chess?
Simple chess board ships an update every 10 months, and Classic chess every 2 months. Most recently, Simple chess board was updated on October 23, 2026 and Classic chess on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons