Chess Pro with Coach vs Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess Pro with Coach
Master the classic strategy game with this comprehensive chess application. Featuring multiple play modes, training tools, and a powerful engine, it caters to both beginners and experienced players aiming for Grandmaster level. Enjoy stunning HD artwork and a challenging human-like opponent.
- Six modes of play
- Annotated databases and puzzles
- Training and rated modes with ELO appraisal
- World-class chess engine
- 100 graded levels from novice to Grandmaster
- Stunning HD artwork and Retina Display support
- Hint facility and built-in coach
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New Ginkgo option - World Chess Champion 2026 (ICGA). Special upgrade offer for a limited time. From Beginner (ELO 600) to AI Grandmaster (ELO 3600). Improves gameplay throughout the app. Plays like a human being at any level. Winner of "Best Strategy Game". Six modes of play. Annotated databases, Puzzles, Training Mode, Rated Mode with ELO appraisal, Blitz Mode, World Rankings and more ... Learn to play and master the classic strategy game Chess with an app that takes you from novice all the way to Grandmaster level with 100 graded levels! Mastersoft Chess has one of the World's best Desktop PC chess engines crammed inside! This engine finished 4th in the World Microcomputer Chess Championships and is not available in any other iPhone chess game. Designed by chess champions to play like a human opponent, Mastersoft Chess will take you from Novice to Grandmaster level! Features stunning high resolution sets by renowned Chess designers. Easy to play but difficult to beat, this is pick up and play chess at its best! As previously supplied by the World's biggest OEMs, and now available for a fraction of the original price thanks to the power of the App Store! The #1 Best Selling Chess App for iOS* PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: "I bought all chess applications for iPhone and this one is probably better than many $7-9 applications. Check TEST ALL. 66 chess applications at only ONE page in the World ..." - www.chess-iphone.blogspot.com "It truly is close to flawless and is by far the best mobile Chess game I have played on any platform." - PDA 247. AWARDS HP Choice Strategy Game of the Year Smartphone Magazine runner up. Various levels, board styles and breathtaking Retina Display chess sets combine with an outstanding World beating chess engine to offer you a great playing experience and an ever increasing challenge. Whether you're just starting out or else a seasoned pro, Mastersoft Chess has something for you! BEGINNERS Hint facility. Built in coach to monitor your progress Training levels that dumb down your iPhone / iPod Touch. Take back a move if you change your mind! Your iPhone/iPod Touch checks that your moves are allowed. Simple intuitive uncluttered interface that lets you concentrate on your game. NB If you are new to Chess then please ensure that the coach is turned on in options and that the lowest difficulty level is selected. GRANDMASTERS A unique engine unlike any other - plays interesting and sometimes quite aggressive chess. Designed to play like a human opponent - right up to Grandmaster level! Huge opening Book 100% Full Chess rules including enpassant, castling etc. Thought analysis (main line, depth and score). Setup position (including castling rights, enpassant and side to move) Move forward / backward to any point in the current game. Includes Standard Chess Book Sets in addition to the realistic ones. OTHER FEATURES Huge collection of stunning high resolution chess sets in both 2D and 3D. Makes the most of Retina Display! Boards constructed from the real thing - Oak, Ash, Marble, Slate and more! Save and load games. Realistic sound effects. Adjustable piece movement animation. Autosaving of your current game. Great for novices but will grow with you and still offer a challenge at Championship level. Universal App. Play on your iPod, iPhone and iPad. No additional purchase necessary. Great value! Source: US App Store 2011. New sets, new boards, improved engine, universal app, retina artwork and more! Voted No1 best Chess app! PS Don't forget the EN PASSANT Pawns Chess rule!
Chess
Manage and study chess databases and games in PGN format with advanced analysis tools. Supports game creation, modification, and import from various sources. Includes engine analysis, opening book management, and puzzle training.
- PGN database and game management
- Create, modify, and import games
- Advanced engine analysis with Stockfish
- Opening book and ChessBase support
- Chess 960 (Fischer Random) support
- Diagram recognition for PGN conversion
- Puzzle training and online play
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Chess Studio is the first and only application for iPhone and iPad able to manage chess databases and games in PGN format in a complete and efficient way. Chess Studio is an application designed and built for those players who really want to deepen their knowledge in the field of chess, studying chess regularly and participate in tournaments. Chess Studio allows you to: • Read database and games in PGN format (also with extended notation of moves). • Create, delete and modify folders and databases. • View games with annotations and textual comments and keep track of the displayed games. • Use a double chessboard on the same screen for better game analysis. • Visualize moves and variants in compact mode or indented mode. • Modify existing games with move annotation and textual comments. • Insert new games and positions. • Insert, replay and analyze games in Chess 960 mode. • Insert moves with annotations and textual comments. • Insert variation, subvariations etc. • Insert and visualize graphical annotation (colored arrows and highlighted squares). • Share Databases and Games through Airdrop. • Download chess database from internet. • Download chess database directly from PGN Mentor site. • Import games, database and Opening Books from other applications. • Merge two or more databases. • Copy/Paste games and positions. • Analyze games with Stockfish 19 Engine with the support of the Neural Networks (up to 5 lines of analysis simultaneously) with the support of the Engine Evaluation Bar. • Replay games automatically. • Visualize Pawn structure. • Manage Variations and sub-variatons: delete and promote variations. • Read the weekly Magazine The New In Chess (TWIC) and download the games. • Uploading and Downloading PGN Database to/from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. • Three different modes for moving pieces. • Analyze endgames with Endgame Tablebases. • Analyze and study Chess Openings in the Chess Openings Section. • Create and manage Opening Books in Polyglot format. • Import and manage ChessBase Opening Books (ctg format). • Automatically classify a database according to ECO code. • Replay, enter and analyze Chess 960 games (Fischer Random Chess). • Play against the engine both in standard mode and in Chess 960 mode. • Play online through the LiChess platform • Train by solving Puzzles • ChessBase Database support. • Diagram Recognition: this feature allows the user to take and/or upload photos of chess diagrams and convert them into PGN format positions. Other features and technical details: • Modify the board size. • Professional chess fonts and figurines for moves notation and annotation. • Preview of the game in the board tapping the Info button. • Quick search feature. • Advanced search feature. • Complete management of Null Moves with Tutorial. • Visualization of ECO code and Opening during game replay or game insertion. • Visualization of Book Openings during game replay or game insertion. • Portrait/Landscape mode for all devices. • Support of Slide Over and Split View mode. • Function to move up within variants and subvariants. • iOS 26 compatible and optimized for all the devices. • Sharing of databases across devices via iCloud Drive (also with Chess Studio for Mac OS). • Sound option. • Support for iPad Pro Keyboard or bluetooth keyboard. • VoiceOver/Accessibility support. • Direct contact via email with the developer to report problems, ask for explanation and suggestions (very quick answer!). • Languages: English, Italian, Spanish and German. Complete description at: https://chessstudio.wordpress.com/chess-studio/ To view the privacy policy and Terms of Use (EULA) visit https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ The application is continuously updated with new features and improvements. No registration! No advertising! No sharing of personal data!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess Pro with Coach at 2K against Chess's 116. Chess Pro with Coach also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On rating, review sentiment, 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
Chess Pro with Coach costs $2.99 and Chess $3.99 up front. Chess Pro with Coach sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Chess Pro with Coach against 4.7 for Chess. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Pro with Coach has 2K ratings behind it against 116, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Chess Pro with Coach's written reviews are positive against 92% of Chess's.
Chess Pro with Coach ships an update weekly, Chess fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess Pro with Coach | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (2K ratings) | 4.7 (116 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | 92.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 116 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 237 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Mastersoft | Giordano Vicoli |
Customer experience
Chess Pro with Coach
Chess
Bugs and requests
Chess Pro with Coach
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Chess
Reported bugs
12 issues- Problem saving updated game data
- Engine stopped working after 30 seconds
- App crashes when adding annotations without hitting 'edit mode' first
- Crash opening .pgn in landscape mode
- Crashes when selecting a cell with 0 games associated
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- App freezes sometimes
- Download stuck on 'downloading'
- Dropbox issues on earlier iOS versions
- Program not bulletproof upon saving work
- Can't download cbv files
- Graphical annotations drawing unwanted arrows
- App doesn't work after iOS update
Requested features
20 requests- Add dark mode
- Add board flip button
- Improve interface for screen reader users
- Add private game feature with code
- Add computer whole game analysis with annotations
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- Add coloring moves based on annotation
- Add drawing arrows that are saved
- Add bookmark feature
- Add buttons/swipe to go forward/backwards to next/previous game
- Add select all function for copying games
- Add autoplay games
- Remember last position/game opened in a database
- Support Millennium boards
- Support UCI engine compatibility
- Optimize database game view
- Make edit mode arrows slimmer and add more colors
- Allow direct iCloud access to databases without export
- Make graphical annotations optional/disableable
- Improve font size adjustment for moves and annotations
- Add search with multiple criteria
In-app purchases
Chess Pro with Coach
- Upgrade to Chess Ginkgo.$9.99
Chess
- Monthly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Yearly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$8.991 Year
Questions
Is Chess Pro with Coach free?
Is Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Chess Pro with Coach or Chess?
Do Chess Pro with Coach or Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess Pro with Coach or Chess?
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