Comparison

OpenChess vs ChessNewLife

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

Head to head
About

OpenChess

Master chess openings by playing against a specialized AI. Explore specific defenses or move sequences, and gain insights into positional advantages and piece values. Improve your game from the very first moves.

Highlights
  • Learn specific chess openings
  • Play against AI focused on opening lines
  • Analyze positional advantages
  • Evaluate piece values and mobility
  • Understand pawn structure
  • Track defended and attacked pieces
Read full description

Learn chess openings with OpenChess: An Opening Explorer. Play against the computer, or play as both sides, and be shown the lines that are within any opening that you are interested in learning. Want to learn the Sicilian Defense or the Queen’s Gambit? Choose that category and play against that a computer that only follows lines within that opening category. Wany to focus on learning all of the openings that start with a specific move, such as pawn to “e4”? This category can also be selected, and you can play against a computer that only plays lines that start with “e4”. The chess engine in this app is not Stockfish, and it does not look very far ahead. It is meant to provide a decent base evaluation and allow the majority of the reason behind the evaluation of the current position to be shown to the user. The following information can be shown to the user: • Positional advantages for each piece type (pawn, knight, bishop, rook, queen and king) • Piece value advantages for each color • Mobility scores for each piece where mobility plays a big role (bishop, rook, queen, king) • Pawn advantages and disadvantages (passed pawns, isolated pawns, backwards pawns, doubled pawns) • Total value of pieces attacked by each color as well as total value of pieces defended by each color A lot of chess games are won and lost within the opening moves, this app was designed to help players learn solid openings that either help them gain a winning advantage out of the opening, or at the very least help them not lose due to the opening moves played. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ChessNewLife

Read full description

ChessNewLife is your complete chess training companion — built to help you improve, compete, and have fun, whatever your level. SOLVE 800+ PUZZLES Sharpen your tactics with a growing library of 800+ handcrafted puzzles, organized by theme and difficulty. Train every day and watch your rating climb. LEARN FROM CHESS LEGENDS Study the games and ideas of the greatest players in history and bring their strategies into your own play. PLAY PUBLIC & PRIVATE GAMES Jump into public matches or create private games to play exactly who you want, whenever you want. CHALLENGE FRIENDS TO 1v1 DUELS Test your skills in fast, head-to-head puzzle duels. Race against an opponent and prove who solves faster under pressure. ANALYZE ANY POSITION Set up any position with the built-in board editor and explore ideas, test lines, and understand where games turn. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Follow your ELO rating, puzzle results, and improvement over time with clear stats. PREMIUM Unlock unlimited puzzles, unlimited duels, exclusive avatars, and more with a Premium subscription. Whether you're learning the rules or chasing master level, ChessNewLife gives you everything you need to grow — one move at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

OpenChess4 screens
ChessNewLife4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: OpenChess at 12.0 against ChessNewLife's 15.0. On price, update cadence, 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. OpenChess sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and ChessNewLife sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenChess ships an update fortnightly, ChessNewLife every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
OpenChess versus ChessNewLife: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenChessChessNewLife
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid BryantANSIROMAT S.R.L.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

OpenChess

One-time10
  • Tarrasch Defense Opening$0.99
  • Trompowsky Attack Opening$0.99
  • Scandinavian Defense Opening$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Three Knights Opening$0.99
  • Zukertort Opening$0.99
  • Van't Kruijs Opening$0.99
  • Vienna Game Opening$0.99
  • Ware Opening$0.99
  • Opening Explorer$4.99
  • OpenChess Premium$19.99
1 purchases

ChessNewLife

Subscriptions1
  • ChessNewLife Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is OpenChess free?
OpenChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessNewLife free?
ChessNewLife is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenChess or ChessNewLife have ads?
Neither OpenChess nor ChessNewLife shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenChess or ChessNewLife?
OpenChess ships an update fortnightly, and ChessNewLife every 3 weeks. Most recently, OpenChess was updated on October 30, 2026 and ChessNewLife on October 28, 2026.

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