Comparison

Openings Mastermind vs Hardcore Blindfold Chess

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

Hardcore Blindfold Chess

Features
Read full description

Blindfold Chess hides the board and asks you to keep the position in your head. Tap the empty board, type your move or just say it, and hear the computer's reply read out loud. PLAY YOUR WAY • Three modes: Peek (hold the board for a moment, every peek counted), Hidden (no board, the move list helps) and Pure (no board, no move list). • Five opponents from Casual to Master, with a time limit and openings to start from if you want them. • Hands-free: it listens again by itself after each reply. Say "repeat", "take back" or "where is my knight?" • Takebacks, illegal moves and board questions are counted next to peeks, so a clean win means a clean win. TRAIN YOUR VISUALISATION • Blindfold puzzles: mate in 1, 2 or 3, plus a new puzzle every day. • Square colours, knight and bishop routes, and remember-the-position drills. • Famous games played move by move, with no board, and questions along the way. SEE YOURSELF IMPROVE • A blindfold rating, badges and a daily streak. • Step through any finished game and see the moments you lost track. • Open a game in Lichess for engine analysis, or export every game as PGN. • Share a picture of your result. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Your games stay on your device. Voice input uses your phone's built-in speech recognition. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Openings Mastermind4 screens
Hardcore Blindfold Chess3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Openings Mastermind at none against Hardcore Blindfold Chess's 3. Hardcore Blindfold Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Hardcore Blindfold Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Openings Mastermind asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Openings Mastermind ships an update fortnightly, Hardcore Blindfold Chess every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Openings Mastermind versus Hardcore Blindfold Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenings MastermindHardcore Blindfold Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian HeiseClick Boreal Unipessoal LDA

In-app purchases

None

Openings Mastermind

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Hardcore Blindfold Chess

Subscriptions2
  • Hardcore Chess Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Hardcore Chess Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Hardcore Chess Pro$59.99

Questions

Is Openings Mastermind free?
Openings Mastermind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hardcore Blindfold Chess free?
Hardcore Blindfold Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Openings Mastermind or Hardcore Blindfold Chess have ads?
Neither Openings Mastermind nor Hardcore Blindfold Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Openings Mastermind or Hardcore Blindfold Chess?
Openings Mastermind ships an update fortnightly, and Hardcore Blindfold Chess every 10 days. Most recently, Openings Mastermind was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hardcore Blindfold Chess on October 31, 2026.

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