Comparison

Chess Notation Trainer vs ChessMate Puzzles

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
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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

ChessMate Puzzles

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ChessMate Puzzles turns every position into a compact challenge—easy to pick up, satisfying to solve, and ready whenever you are. 5,000+ chess puzzles. No internet required. Just chess. ChessMate Puzzles is designed to sharpen your tactical vision, calculation, and pattern recognition. Find mate in one, calculate forced mates in two or three moves, discover winning lines from miniature games, and test your technique in endgames and master combinations. From accessible positions to demanding tactical challenges, there is always another puzzle waiting to be solved. FEATURES • 5,000+ chess puzzles • Mate-in-one, mate-in-two, and mate-in-three challenges • 600 miniature games • Endgames and master combinations • Automatic opponent replies in multi-move puzzles • Hints that reveal the next correct move • Up to three stars to earn on every puzzle • Progress saved directly on your device • Offline play ANALYZE WITHOUT PENALTIES Not sure about a move? Turn on Analysis Mode to move pieces freely, explore variations, and search for the solution without affecting your score. When you exit Analysis Mode, your experimental moves are discarded and the puzzle returns to its previous position. GET HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT Use a hint to reveal the next correct move in the solution. Hints and wrong moves may lower your star rating for that attempt, while solving cleanly earns more stars. PLAY TOGETHER Board Mode turns your device into a free chessboard. Play both sides yourself or enjoy pass-and-play chess with another person on the same device. There is no computer opponent—you control the game. Tap a piece to see its legal moves, study the position, and find the best continuation. Revisit completed puzzles, retry them to earn more stars, or continue to the next challenge. Whether you are learning tactical patterns or looking for difficult positions to calculate, ChessMate Puzzles lets you enjoy chess at your own pace—anytime and anywhere. Remove ads anytime with an optional one-time In-App Purchase.

Screenshots

Chess Notation Trainer4 screens
ChessMate Puzzles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Notation Trainer at 4.4 against ChessMate Puzzles's 1.0. Chess Notation Trainer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (18 vs 1). ChessMate Puzzles's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). On price, in-app purchases 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 and ChessMate Puzzles 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

Chess Notation Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Notation Trainer has 18 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Notation Trainer versus ChessMate Puzzles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Notation TrainerChessMate Puzzles
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (18 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 days—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB75 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperNishat MajidKids Academy Co apps: Preschool & Kindergarten Learning Kids Games, Educational Books, Free Songs

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Notation Trainer

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99
1 purchases

ChessMate Puzzles

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Chess Notation Trainer free?
Chess Notation Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessMate Puzzles free?
ChessMate Puzzles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Notation Trainer or ChessMate Puzzles?
Chess Notation Trainer is rated higher. Chess Notation Trainer averages 4.4 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while ChessMate Puzzles averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Chess Notation Trainer or ChessMate Puzzles have ads?
ChessMate Puzzles shows ads; Chess Notation Trainer does not.

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