Comparison

Active Chess vs Luck Chess

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

Head to head
About

Active Chess

Experience a unique chess variant with randomized starting positions and modified rules for dynamic gameplay. Develop your strategic thinking and planning skills in this engaging board game.

Highlights
  • Randomized starting positions
  • Modified chess rules
  • Strategic gameplay
  • Cognitive skill development
  • Choice of board sizes
  • Play against a chess bot
Features
Read full description

Playing chess regularly develops human cognitive abilities, such as: logical thinking, attentiveness, memory, ability to analyse and plan. However, in classical chess there is one drawback that does not contribute to the interest in the game on the part of millions of potential players. For thousands of years of the existence of chess, all combinations, the so-called openings, that can appear on the chessboard at the beginning of the game, have been developed and well studied. A professional player who knows several of these openings will certainly gain an advantage over an ordinary player, even if his cognitive abilities are obviously lower. Active Chess got its name because it excludes the use of different preliminary preparations in different game situations, especially at the beginning of the game. In active chess, there is no well-known traditional arrangement of pieces, and this precludes the use of a library of openings. From the first moves of the game, an active game begins, the result of which depends on the player's cognitive abilities, his ability to think and a bit of luck. The luck factor is associated with the formation of the starting position randomly for each player. But in order not to depend on capricious luck, the player can independently form his position on the board. At the same time he does not know what position his opponent will have. This gives a special sharpness of the game. In Active Chess, almost all the rules of classical chess are followed with a few exceptions: • Rule for castling of kings is absent since a player, when creating an initial position, can place his king in that part of the board and among other pieces, where he will be in the greatest safety. • Chess pieces can be placed on the first three ranks of each side in the order that suits the player. • A special mark is applied to the image of the pawns of the first move, which disappears after the first move. • Bishops can be of the same color field or different color fields at the choice of the player. Active Chess has to a choice of two options for boards 8x8 and 8x10. In the current version of the application, only a game with a chess bot is available. The application has ads are shown after the end of the game. The winner does not see ads! You can remove all Ads and limit of preset positions by subscription. Enjoy Game! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: http://books.virenter.com/policy.php

About

Luck Chess

Engage in bite-sized chess puzzles designed to sharpen your tactical thinking and strategic planning. This game offers hundreds of challenges suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced players, helping you improve your game step by step.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of chess puzzles
  • Tactical and strategic challenges
  • Pattern recognition improvement
  • Clean and intuitive interface
  • Play anytime, anywhere
Features
Read full description

Luck Chess - Mini Chess Puzzles to Challenge Your Mind! Do you love chess puzzles? Luck Chess brings you a fresh and fun way to improve your chess skills with quick, bite-sized challenges. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, our mini chess puzzles will keep your mind sharp and engaged! Fun & Challenging Puzzles Luck Chess offers hundreds of carefully designed chess puzzles to test your tactical thinking and strategic planning. From simple checkmates to tricky endgames, every puzzle helps you improve your chess skills step by step. Simple Yet Engaging Each puzzle features a small, focused chessboard, keeping the most important pieces in play. This helps you recognize patterns faster, develop better strategies, and solve puzzles efficiently. Improve Your Game • Solve quick and exciting chess puzzles • Learn to think ahead and plan your moves • Strengthen your pattern recognition and tactics • Enjoy a clean and intuitive interface for smooth gameplay Play Anytime, Anywhere With Luck Chess, you can play short and engaging puzzles anytime—whether you have a few minutes to spare or want to practice your skills for longer sessions. Are you ready to sharpen your mind and master chess puzzles? Download Luck Chess now for free and start solving!

Screenshots

Active Chess4 screens
Luck Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Active Chess at 5.0 against Luck Chess's 4.0. Active Chess also leads on ads (none vs shown). Luck Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 39 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Active Chess sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Luck Chess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Active Chess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, Luck Chess every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Active Chess versus Luck Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActive ChessLuck Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexey PoluninBeijing Tongqi Management Consulting Co., Ltd

Customer experience

Active Chess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Luck Chess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Active Chess

Subscriptions3
  • Unlimited Positions 1 Week$0.997 Days
  • Unlimited Positions 1 Month$1.991 Month
  • Unlimited Positions 3 Month$4.993 Months
3 purchases

Luck Chess

One-time3
  • Gold1000$1.99
  • Gold5.99$5.99
  • Gold11.99$11.99

Questions

Is Active Chess free?
Active Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Luck Chess free?
Luck Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Active Chess or Luck Chess?
Active Chess is rated higher. Active Chess averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Luck Chess averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Active Chess or Luck Chess have ads?
Luck Chess shows ads; Active Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Active Chess or Luck Chess?
Active Chess ships an update every 39 months, and Luck Chess every 3 days. Most recently, Active Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and Luck Chess on November 4, 2026.

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