Openings Mastermind vs Chess Notation Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Openings Mastermind
Master chess openings with this app. Import studies, explore with advanced engines, and practice specific lines through repetition. Track your progress and improve your game.
- Import Lichess Studies or PGNs
- Explore openings with Stockfish 15
- Practice openings by repetition
- Smart practice queue
- Track learning progress
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Get ready to take your chess game to the next level with Openings Mastermind, the ultimate chess opening app! Some of the features include: - Import Lichess Studies or custom PGNs - Explore openings with Stockfish 17 and the Lichess position database - Practice openings by repetition against your own custom openings database - Take advantage of the smart practice queue and improve your learning - Observe your learning progress in different openings With our app, you can take your opening game to the next level by practicing against the specific lines you want to master. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, our app is the perfect tool to help you improve your opening moves and become a better chess player. Planned Features: - Continue against engine, after study line ends - Analysis of your games from Lichess and Chess.com compared to your openings database
Chess Notation Trainer
Master chess squares and notation with this training app. Improve your ability to identify coordinates, translate moves, and visualize the board, even without one. Ideal for serious players looking to enhance calculation speed and chess understanding.
- Identify squares by coordinate
- Translate move sequences to notation
- Determine square color instantly
- Stay oriented on the board
- Follow chess tutorials without a board
- Speed up calculation
- Practice blind chess
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Serious about chess? But struggling to identify the squares, remembering sequences and follow chess notations? Well, you just landed on the perfect app! This training app is designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares. There are 5 training sessions. A small dose of regular practice will make you: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation at ease 3. Immediately identify the color of a square 4. Stay oriented regardless of you facing white or black 5. Follow along with chess tutorials, books or any discussion without a board 6. Massively speedup your thought process on any calculation 7. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you see a sudden surge of rating simply increasing your strength on square reading. The free version is already good enough to cause a major spike in your chess career. However, a one time purchase will unlock the full version which includes: - Extended time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and achievements - Board assistance during training - And a complete visualization of your records There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive way to your square mastery. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app is probably not gonna be as useful for you, and tactics training is something you should prioritize.
Screenshots
Verdict
Openings Mastermind and Chess Notation Trainer both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Chess Notation Trainer's written reviews are positive against 50% of Openings Mastermind's. Chess Notation Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (18 vs 6). Openings Mastermind's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Chess Notation Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Openings Mastermind asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Openings Mastermind against 4.4 for Chess Notation Trainer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Openings Mastermind's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Notation Trainer's.
Openings Mastermind ships an update fortnightly, Chess Notation Trainer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Openings Mastermind | Chess Notation Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 4.4 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christian Heise | Nishat Majid |
Customer experience
Openings Mastermind
Chess Notation Trainer
In-app purchases
Openings Mastermind
No in-app purchases
Chess Notation Trainer
- Full Version$4.99
Questions
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