Comparison

Chess Notation Trainer vs Board Brain

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

Board Brain

This app helps chess players of all levels enhance their skills through interactive games and exercises. It focuses on mastering chessboard coordinates, understanding piece movements, and recognizing square colors to improve overall game vision.

Highlights
  • Interactive games
  • Skill-building exercises
  • Chessboard coordinate mastery
  • Piece movement understanding
  • Square color recognition
Features
Read full description

BoardBrain is designed to help both novice and experienced chess players improve their skills. It offers interactive games and exercises that focus on mastering chessboard coordinates, understanding piece movements, and recognizing square colors.

Screenshots

Chess Notation Trainer4 screens
Board Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Board Brain at 5.0 against Chess Notation Trainer's 4.5. Board Brain also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Chess Notation Trainer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days) and ratings volume (16 vs 3). On price, 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 Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Board Brain asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Board Brain holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Notation Trainer has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Notation Trainer ships an update every 2 days, Board Brain every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chess Notation Trainer versus Board Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Notation TrainerBoard Brain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (16 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNishat MajidSelvarajan Thangavel

Customer experience

Chess Notation Trainer

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Board Brain

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Notation Trainer

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99
None

Board Brain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Chess Notation Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Board Brain free?
Board Brain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Notation Trainer or Board Brain?
Board Brain is rated higher. Chess Notation Trainer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Board Brain averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Chess Notation Trainer or Board Brain have ads?
Neither Chess Notation Trainer nor Board Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Notation Trainer or Board Brain?
Chess Notation Trainer ships an update every 2 days, and Board Brain every 6 days. Most recently, Chess Notation Trainer was updated on September 7, 2026 and Board Brain on September 12, 2026.

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