Comparison

Openings Mastermind vs Chess Notation Lab

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Import Lichess Studies or PGNs
  • Explore openings with Stockfish 15
  • Practice openings by repetition
  • Smart practice queue
  • Track learning progress
Features
Read full description

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

About

Chess Notation Lab

Master chess board coordinates and piece movement with this training app. Improve your ability to visualize moves, read notation, and understand square colors. Designed to enhance your chess calculations and potentially boost your rating.

Highlights
  • Identify squares by coordinate
  • Fluid piece movement visualization
  • Translate moves to notation
  • Identify square color
  • Orient on the board
  • Speed up calculation
  • Blind chess practice
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Chess Notation Lab! Are you struggling to identify squares, remember sequences, and follow chess notations? Do you have trouble visualizing Bishop diagonals? Or Knight jumps? Or worse, mapping the available moves for the Queen to get/avoid a deadly fork? This training app is designed to end this misery. There are 2 training modes, each with 5 unique training sessions carefully designed to dramatically uplift your mastery over chess squares and fluid piece movement. A small dose of regular practice will empower you to: 1. Spot a square as soon as you hear or see its coordinate 2. Fluidly move any piece around the board, even without a board 3. Translate a sequence of moves into their notation with ease 4. Immediately identify the color of a square 5. Stay oriented regardless of whether you're white or black 6. Follow along with chess tutorials, books, or discussions at ease and comfort 7. Massively speed up your thought process on any calculation 8. Finally, start playing blind chess! Don't be surprised if you experience a sudden surge in rating simply by improving your square reading skills. The free version is already effective enough to significantly boost your chess career. However, if you want to support me and get the full version, first of all, thanks!! And then just a one-time purchase will unlock: - Longer time controls - Untimed practice mode - Milestones and Achievements and - Complete visualization of your records - Compete with friends over the complete leaderboards There will be no ads, neither in the full version nor in the free one. Just a beautiful and satisfyingly addictive path to mastering squares. The level of comfort you will feel about talking, reading or even thinking about chess is, believe me, just priceless. Caution: If you are rated below 1500, this app may be less useful for you, and tactics training should be prioritized.

Screenshots

Openings Mastermind4 screens
Chess Notation Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess Notation Lab at 100% against Openings Mastermind's 50%. Chess Notation Lab also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Openings Mastermind's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess Notation Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Openings Mastermind asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Notation Lab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Openings Mastermind's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chess Notation Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Openings Mastermind ships an update fortnightly, Chess Notation Lab every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Openings Mastermind versus Chess Notation Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenings MastermindChess Notation Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings66
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.6
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian HeiseNishat Majid

Customer experience

Openings Mastermind

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Chess Notation Lab

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Openings Mastermind

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Notation Lab

One-time1
  • Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is Openings Mastermind free?
Openings Mastermind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Notation Lab free?
Chess Notation Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Openings Mastermind or Chess Notation Lab?
Chess Notation Lab is rated higher. Openings Mastermind averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Chess Notation Lab averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Openings Mastermind or Chess Notation Lab have ads?
Neither Openings Mastermind nor Chess Notation Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Openings Mastermind or Chess Notation Lab?
Openings Mastermind ships an update fortnightly, and Chess Notation Lab every 3 days. Most recently, Openings Mastermind was updated on September 19, 2026 and Chess Notation Lab on September 7, 2026.

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