Comparison

Chess Tactics and Lessons vs OpenChess

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

Head to head
About

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Master chess strategy and openings with this app. Practice unlimited tactics, follow detailed lessons, and save your favorite openings. Create your own content and learn from a supportive community.

Highlights
  • Unlimited tactics practice
  • Detailed chess lessons
  • Opening practice and saving
  • Create custom tactics and lessons
  • Learn from mistakes with explanations
  • Community comments and discussion
  • Customizable board design
Features
Read full description

“Chess is 99% tactics” (R. Teichmann.) From beginner to expert, practicing tactics is hands-down the best way to master the game. Our app provides tactics, lessons, and openings and adjusts to your ability as you play. Join thousands of users who improve their game with tactics every day: "This app is a must have for any chess player - student or master." -Tom Taylor, USA "This is easily the best purchase I've made since owning a smartphone." -Miles C. Samuels, USA "This app has improved my game tremendously!" - anonymous fandom on the App Store FEATURES - Tactics: Play as many tactics as you want, for free. - Lessons: Get deeper into strategy with detailed lessons including positions from Netflix's 'The Queen Queen's Gambit' and the 2018 World Championship. - Openings: Practice makes perfect -- save and practice openings from the Grandmasters and more. - Create your own tactics, lessons, and openings for others to try. Compete with others to make the leaderboard for the toughest ones. - Learn from your mistakes. When you get something wrong, you can see the solution, see an explanation for the tactic, and talk to others in the comments. - Join the community: comment on tactics and learn from other users. - Customize your board design. New tactics are added every day, so you'll never run out. ------ Chess Tactics PRO subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account upon purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. See Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more information. Privacy Policy: https://chesstacticsapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://chesstacticsapp.com/terms.html Acknowledgements: Chess Pieces by jurgenwesterhof on WikiCommons (adapted from work of Cburnett) Icons by bezier master, Cutiecon, and Shawn Wong from the Noun Project.

About

OpenChess

Master chess openings by playing against a specialized AI. Explore specific defenses or move sequences, and gain insights into positional advantages and piece values. Improve your game from the very first moves.

Highlights
  • Learn specific chess openings
  • Play against AI focused on opening lines
  • Analyze positional advantages
  • Evaluate piece values and mobility
  • Understand pawn structure
  • Track defended and attacked pieces
Read full description

Learn chess openings with OpenChess: An Opening Explorer. Play against the computer, or play as both sides, and be shown the lines that are within any opening that you are interested in learning. Want to learn the Sicilian Defense or the Queen’s Gambit? Choose that category and play against that a computer that only follows lines within that opening category. Wany to focus on learning all of the openings that start with a specific move, such as pawn to “e4”? This category can also be selected, and you can play against a computer that only plays lines that start with “e4”. The chess engine in this app is not Stockfish, and it does not look very far ahead. It is meant to provide a decent base evaluation and allow the majority of the reason behind the evaluation of the current position to be shown to the user. The following information can be shown to the user: • Positional advantages for each piece type (pawn, knight, bishop, rook, queen and king) • Piece value advantages for each color • Mobility scores for each piece where mobility plays a big role (bishop, rook, queen, king) • Pawn advantages and disadvantages (passed pawns, isolated pawns, backwards pawns, doubled pawns) • Total value of pieces attacked by each color as well as total value of pieces defended by each color A lot of chess games are won and lost within the opening moves, this app was designed to help players learn solid openings that either help them gain a winning advantage out of the opening, or at the very least help them not lose due to the opening moves played. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chess Tactics and Lessons4 screens
OpenChess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: OpenChess at none against Chess Tactics and Lessons's shown. OpenChess also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Chess Tactics and Lessons's advantage is ratings volume (5K vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 Tactics and Lessons sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and OpenChess sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OpenChess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Tactics and Lessons has 5K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, OpenChess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Tactics and Lessons versus OpenChess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Tactics and LessonsOpenChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings5K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLockwood Productions, LLCDavid Bryant

Customer experience

Chess Tactics and Lessons

All ratings4,968 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews260 reviews
Positive83.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative11.2%

OpenChess

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Server connection issues
  • White screen after updates
  • Inability to delete account
  • Incorrect move explanations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save tactics
  • Offline mode
  • Difficulty filtering
  • Improved user interface
  • More comprehensive lessons

OpenChess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Chess Tactics and Lessons

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly PRO Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time5
  • Marble Chess Board$0.99
  • Orange Chess Board$0.99
  • Remove ads$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Green Chess Board$0.99
  • Enable Saved Puzzles$1.99
10 purchases

OpenChess

One-time10
  • Tarrasch Defense Opening$0.99
  • Trompowsky Attack Opening$0.99
  • Scandinavian Defense Opening$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Three Knights Opening$0.99
  • Zukertort Opening$0.99
  • Van't Kruijs Opening$0.99
  • Vienna Game Opening$0.99
  • Ware Opening$0.99
  • Opening Explorer$4.99
  • OpenChess Premium$19.99

Questions

Is Chess Tactics and Lessons free?
Chess Tactics and Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenChess free?
OpenChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics and Lessons or OpenChess?
OpenChess is rated higher. Chess Tactics and Lessons averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while OpenChess averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Chess Tactics and Lessons or OpenChess have ads?
Chess Tactics and Lessons shows ads; OpenChess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics and Lessons or OpenChess?
Chess Tactics and Lessons ships an update every 5 weeks, and OpenChess fortnightly. Most recently, Chess Tactics and Lessons was updated on September 23, 2026 and OpenChess on August 30, 2026.

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