Comparison

ChessDash vs Mindful Chess

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

Head to head
About

ChessDash

Experience chess with a fresh twist, featuring dynamic game modes and adaptive AI. Challenge yourself with unique rules and fast-paced gameplay that keeps you on your toes.

Highlights
  • Dynamic game modes
  • Dash mode with time limits
  • Play from middle/end-game
  • Adaptive AI opponents
  • Replay famous positions
Features
Read full description

Step into a world where classic chess meets innovation! Welcome to ChessDash, a groundbreaking new chess game that reimagines the traditional board with exciting twists, dynamic rules, and immersive gameplay. Designed for both seasoned chess players and curious newcomers, ChessDash challenges your strategy and creativity like never before. Features: - Dynamic Game Modes: From traditional chess mode to dash mode. Start plying from ending or middle-game. Replay from famous or carefully crafted positions. Each mode tests your strategy in unique ways. - Dash Mode: In Dash Mode the player has only a few seconds to make a move but failing to make a move in time doesn't lead to the loss. The turn simply moves to the opponent. In Dash Mode there is no zugzwang and you have to capture the king. The new mode make chess more intensive and exciting. - Adaptive AI Opponents: Challenge yourself against AI that learns and evolves with your skill level. Every match will push your limits! Privacy policy: https://akatek.biz/apps/chessdash/privacy_policy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Mindful Chess

Features
Read full description

Mindful Chess is a complete chess training app: solve puzzles, learn openings that stay with you, analyze any position and play a bot, all on your device. Solving quickly earns bonus points, but every wrong move costs points too, so the game rewards careful calculation over guessing. 100% OFFLINE — POWERED BY MINDFUL ENGINE Every feature runs on your device: the puzzles, the opening lessons, the analysis board and the bot itself. Mindful Engine is a chess engine written from scratch for this app, so there is no third-party server anywhere in the loop. Put your phone in airplane mode and the whole app keeps working. FEATURES • 1.4 Million Offline Puzzles: Tactics taken from real games, ready anytime with no connection needed. A progress bar shows how many moves each puzzle needs, and the move list shows what has been played. • NEW! See Why a Move Fails: Play a wrong move and your opponent's best answer appears on the board with a one-line explanation, such as "Check, but not mate: Black blocks with ...f6." • Daily Puzzle — Free for Everyone: One hard puzzle a day, the same for every player in the world, with a single attempt. The clock starts the moment the board is revealed and the fastest solve tops the leaderboard; each mistake adds 20 seconds. Build a streak, share your result and, if you like, get a reminder at the time you choose. • Opening Trainer — Openings That Actually Stick: Every line is first walked through with move-by-move explanations, then you play it back yourself. Spaced repetition remembers exactly which move you struggle with and brings it back just before you would forget it. 89 variations across 26 major openings, from the Sicilian and the London System to the Catalan and the Benko Gambit, trainable from either side. Starter lines in the Italian Game and the French Defence are free; the full course unlocks with Pro. • NEW! Analyze Position, Now From a Screenshot (Pro): Set the pieces up yourself, or pick a screenshot of a board and the position is rebuilt on your device; any square it isn't sure about is marked for you to check. See the best move and a full evaluation, play any legal move to get the engine's reply, then continue the position against the bot. Made for finished games, puzzles and study positions. • NEW! Opening Encyclopedia, Rebuilt (Pro): Over 3,800 named openings and variations from the open Lichess opening database, arranged in five ECO volumes and searchable by name or code. • Three Bot Difficulties — Free: Beginner, Club and Master, all on your device. The bot opens from a real opening book and only starts making mistakes once the opening is over, because that is when real players start making them. • Hints and Blunder Coach (Pro): Ask for the best move in the middle of a game against the bot, catch a blunder the moment you play it and take it back. In puzzles, see the next move when you're stuck. • Live Match — Face-to-Face Multiplayer: Challenge a friend in the same room. Two devices connect directly over your local network, no internet required. Choose your color and time control (3, 5 or 10 minutes, or untimed), offer draws and play instant rematches. • A Real Wooden Board: Maple and walnut squares, pieces that glide, legal moves that light up, and crisp sounds and haptics on every move. • Game Center: Two leaderboards, your all-time score and the daily race (requires internet to sync). NO ADS. NO ACCOUNT. NO TRACKING. Puzzles, opening lessons and your progress stay on your device. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to opt out of. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. LOOKING FOR A BIGGER CHALLENGE? The Mindful Chess Advanced Pack unlocks an extra archive of 1.7 million master-level (1800+ Elo) puzzles. Thanks to Smart Storage, it downloads only when you unlock it, so the initial download stays light.

Screenshots

ChessDash4 screens
Mindful Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessDash at none against Mindful Chess's 2. ChessDash also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). Mindful Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price 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. Mindful Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. ChessDash asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessDash ships an update every 2 weeks, Mindful Chess weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
ChessDash versus Mindful Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessDashMindful Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB280 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAkaTek LLCVolkan Mutluer

In-app purchases

None

ChessDash

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Mindful Chess

One-time2
  • Pro Version Unlock$2.99
  • 1800+ Elo Advanced Puzzles$4.99

Questions

Is ChessDash free?
ChessDash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mindful Chess free?
Mindful Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ChessDash or Mindful Chess have ads?
ChessDash shows ads; Mindful Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, ChessDash or Mindful Chess?
ChessDash ships an update every 2 weeks, and Mindful Chess weekly. Most recently, ChessDash was updated on October 9, 2026 and Mindful Chess on October 19, 2026.

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