Comparison

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game vs POOLS™

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

Head to head
About

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game

Master chess tactics with thousands of unique puzzles and real-time multiplayer challenges. Improve your strategy, track progress on global leaderboards, and analyze your performance to climb the ELO ladder.

Highlights
  • Thousands of unique chess puzzles
  • Real-time multiplayer battles
  • Targeted training by theme or ELO
  • Global leaderboards
  • Comprehensive performance stats
  • Infinite singleplayer mode
Features
Read full description

Master the Art of Chess Tactics Are you ready to take your chess game to the next level? Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics or a master polishing your strategy, Chess Puzzles is the ultimate tool for tactical training. Solve thousands of unique chess puzzles, challenge players worldwide, and track your progress as you climb the ELO ladder. KEY FEATURES: Infinite Singleplayer Mode: Access a massive library of puzzles ranging from "Mate in 1" to complex Grandmaster combinations. Real-Time Multiplayer Battles: Put your speed and accuracy to the test. Challenge friends or random opponents to a puzzle duel and see who solves faster. Targeted Training: Don't just guess. Sort puzzles by Theme (Forks, Pins, Skewers, Discovered Attacks) or filter by ELO rating to match your exact skill level. Global Leaderboards: Compete against the world. Watch your ranking rise as your tactical vision improves. Comprehensive Stats: Analyze your performance and identify your weak spots. Why download Chess Puzzles? Chess isn't just about moving pieces; it’s about pattern recognition. By practicing specific tactical motifs and competing under pressure, you will see a noticeable improvement in your over-the-board games. Download now and start your journey to Grandmaster status! Eula for in app purchases: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

Screenshots

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game4 screens
POOLS™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game at 5.0 against POOLS™'s 4.5. Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). POOLS™'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 Puzzles Multiplayer Game sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and POOLS™ 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 Puzzles Multiplayer Game holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POOLS™ has 1.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game ships an update fortnightly, POOLS™ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game versus POOLS™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Puzzles Multiplayer GamePOOLS™
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.5 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews—79.4% of reviews
Number of ratings21.6K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size202 MB1.9 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperSick App Developers GmbHTensori

Customer experience

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

POOLS™

All ratings1,616 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews626 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative14.2%

Bugs and requests

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game

Subscriptions2
  • Chess Puzzles Diamond$6.991 Month
  • Chess Puzzles Diamond$69.991 Year
1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99

Questions

Is Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game free?
Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game or POOLS™?
Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game is rated higher. Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while POOLS™ averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game or POOLS™ have ads?
Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game shows ads; POOLS™ does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game or POOLS™?
Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game ships an update fortnightly, and POOLS™ every 2 months. Most recently, Chess Puzzles Multiplayer Game was updated on October 3, 2026 and POOLS™ on October 14, 2026.

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