Comparison

Chess Notation Trainer vs Chess960 ™

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Chess960 ™

Experience a unique chess variant where the starting position of pieces changes with each game. Test your strategic thinking with fresh challenges and play against AI or friends. Customize your game with different themes and join a growing community.

Highlights
  • Randomized starting positions
  • Play against AI or friends
  • Progress from beginner to pro
  • Customizable pieces and boards
  • Community sharing and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Chess960: Fresh Moves, a new twist on the classic chess game you can play on your phone. This game changes up the starting line-up of the chess pieces, making every match different and exciting. Bobby Fischer, a famous chess player, came up with Chess960 in the late 1990s. He wanted to make chess fun again by mixing up where the pieces start. This means players need to think of new strategies every time they play, not just remember old moves. What's Cool About Chess960: Fresh Moves? New Challenges: Every game feels like a new puzzle because the pieces start in different spots. Play Your Way: Battle against the game or play with friends and family. Climb from beginner to pro by winning games. Make It Yours: Pick your favorite chess pieces and boards. Change the game's look and sounds to match what you like. Join the Crowd: Share your wins and join a community of Chess960 fans. See how you stack up against others. Chess960: Fresh Moves is all about discovering new ways to play and have fun with chess. Download it now and start exploring a whole new chess world!

Screenshots

Chess Notation Trainer4 screens
Chess960 ™4 screens

Verdict

The call

Chess Notation Trainer and Chess960 ™ both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Chess Notation Trainer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chess960 ™'s. Chess Notation Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 months). Chess960 ™'s advantage is ratings volume (61 vs 18) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess960 ™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Chess Notation Trainer against 4.4 for Chess960 ™. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 61 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Chess Notation Trainer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chess960 ™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Notation Trainer ships an update every 2 days, Chess960 ™ every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Notation Trainer versus Chess960 ™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Notation TrainerChess960 ™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (18 ratings)4.4 (61 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1861 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNishat MajidVM Mobile Team

Customer experience

Chess Notation Trainer

All ratings18 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Chess960 ™

All ratings61 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral6.6%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Notation Trainer

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99
1 purchases

Chess960 ™

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Chess Notation Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess960 ™ free?
Chess960 ™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Notation Trainer or Chess960 ™?
Chess Notation Trainer and Chess960 ™ are both rated 4.4 out of 5 on the App Store, from 18 and 61 ratings respectively.
Do Chess Notation Trainer or Chess960 ™ have ads?
Neither Chess Notation Trainer nor Chess960 ™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Notation Trainer or Chess960 ™?
Chess Notation Trainer ships an update every 2 days, and Chess960 ™ every 10 months. Most recently, Chess Notation Trainer was updated on September 23, 2026 and Chess960 ™ on September 25, 2026.

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