Comparison

Simple chess board vs 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

Chess ◧

Engage in classic chess matches on your iPhone or iPad. Play against a computer with adjustable difficulty, challenge a friend in two-player mode, or utilize helpful features like move undo and hints. Enjoy an attractive user interface for a smooth gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Play against computer
  • Two player mode
  • Adjustable computer strength
  • Undo moves
  • Hint option
  • Attractive UI
Features
Read full description

FREE Chess game for the iPhone and iPad FEATURES - Play agains the computer - Two player mode - Change computer strength - Undo moves - Rotate board - Hint option - Attractive UI --------------------------------------------------- TAPMEDIA PRO SUBSCRIPTION - You will receive access to the apps in the TapMedia PRO bundle for the duration of the subscription. - Subscription length: Monthly (includes one week free trial). - Subscriptions with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. - Payments will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - All prices are subject to change without notification. We occasionally run promotion prices as incentives or limited time opportunities for qualifying purchases made during the promotional time period. Due to the time sensitive and promotional nature of these events, we are unable to offer price protection or retroactive discounts or refunds for previous purchases in the event of a price reduction or promotional offering. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription - You may cancel a subscription during its free period via the subscription setting through your iTunes Account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4098 Privacy Policy: http://tapmedia.co.uk/privacy.htm Terms of Use: http://tapmedia.co.uk/terms.htm

Screenshots

Simple chess board4 screens
Chess ◧3 screens

Verdict

The call

Simple chess board and Chess ◧ both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 88% of Simple chess board's written reviews are positive against 53% of Chess ◧'s. Chess ◧'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (415 vs 68). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Simple chess board sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess ◧ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple chess board holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ◧ has 415 ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Simple chess board's written reviews are positive against 53% of Chess ◧'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple chess board ships an update every 10 months, Chess ◧ every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple chess board versus Chess ◧: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple chess boardChess ◧
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (68 ratings) — better4.3 (415 ratings)
Positive reviews88.2% of reviews — better52.9% of reviews
Number of ratings68415 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB64 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperLuis LopezTapMedia Ltd

Customer experience

Simple chess board

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

Chess ◧

All ratings410 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral14.7%
Negative32.4%

User reviews

Simple chess board

From 68 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and straightforward
  • 👍 Great for study and practice
  • 👍 No restrictions or 'help' functions
  • 👍 Allows setting up custom positions
  • 👍 Useful for playing through games

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Pieces not bound by rules
  • 🤔 Graphics can be distracting/ugly
  • 🤔 Aggressive board colors
  • 🤔 Clocks take up screen space
  • 🤔 Pieces can shift unexpectedly

Chess ◧

From 415 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to play
  • 👍 Highly entertaining
  • 👍 Strong and flexible chess engine
  • 👍 Gameplay is human-like
  • 👍 Great for avoiding opening traps

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Two player mode broken
  • 🐛 Program is impenetrable for beginners
  • 🐛 Hints lead to losing
  • 🐛 Board color changed to brown
  • 🐛 Too many ads

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

Chess ◧

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Two player mode doesn't work
  • Choosing '2 Player' does nothing
  • Many glitches
  • Cannot move a piece and make a change with king and tower
  • Slaughters battery life

Requested features

4 requests
  • Fix two player mode
  • Option to change board color back to black and white
  • Make the game easier for beginners
  • Allow viewing opponent's pawns

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple chess board

One-time1
  • Remove ads$0.99
2 purchases

Chess ◧

Subscriptions1
  • TapMedia PRO - 1 Month3 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Simple chess board free?
Simple chess board is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess ◧ free?
Chess ◧ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple chess board or Chess ◧?
Simple chess board is rated higher. Simple chess board averages 4.5 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Chess ◧ averages 4.3 from 415 ratings.
Do Simple chess board or Chess ◧ have ads?
Simple chess board shows ads; Chess ◧ does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple chess board or Chess ◧?
Simple chess board ships an update every 10 months, and Chess ◧ every 12 months. Most recently, Simple chess board was updated on October 23, 2026 and Chess ◧ on October 20, 2026.

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