Comparison

Chess L!VE vs Chess Variants Studio

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

Head to head
About

Chess L!VE

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Welcome to Chess L!VE - Chess LIVE: Master Chess & Chess Puzzles โ€“ Awesome Chess platform to master your chess skills, challenge opponents worldwide - Chess World Master, and enjoy the timeless strategy game in multiple modes, including Chess Online, 3D Chess, and Puzzles. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned grandmaster - Champion Chess, our app offers the perfect environment to learn, practice, Free Online Chess, and solve chess problems. FEATURES: - Multiple Game Modes: + Single Player (Learn Chess): Play against a highly sophisticated AI with adjustable difficulty, from beginner to expert (Chess Game with AI Integration). + Multiplayer Chess: Challenge friends or Chess Partner or players globally in real-time matches. + Puzzle Mode (Chess Puzzle): Solve over 20+ Chess Puzzles to improve your tactical skills, including Mate in 3 and Antichess. - Learning Tools: + Chess Offline (Play vs Computer) mode for beginners to learn the basics and advanced strategies. + Hints and Suggestions: Get smart suggestions for your next move to improve your game. + Opening Library: Explore a vast collection of opening strategies to perfect your gameplay (Chess Pro, The Chess). - More: + Newbie reward: 10 Coin + 10 Energy. + Daily reward: 1-5 Energy. + Elo Rating System: Track your progress with our Elo Rating system, dynamically adjusting as you improve. + Quick Chess Online mode: you can earn double reward (Energy). + Standard Online Chess mode: you can select chess duration, who goes first. + Offline mode: you can practice with Strong AI. + Vibrate on your turn or checkmate. WHY CHESS IS THE BEST BOARD GAME: Chess, played for over 1,400 years, is the perfect blend of strategy, foresight, and intellect. Whether youโ€™re playing online or offline: - Mental Exercise: Chess stimulates both sides of the brain, improving memory, problem-solving, and cognitive abilities. - Strategic Thinking (Master Chess): Develop critical thinking as you anticipate your opponent's moves and plan your counter-strategies. - Competitive Spirit: From casual games to global tournaments, chess ignites a competitive drive and pushes you to improve. HOW TO PLAY CHESS: - Objective: The goal is to checkmate your opponent's king. - Setup: Played on an 8x8 board, each player has 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. - Pieces: King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Pawn. - Special Moves: + Castling, En Passant, and Pawn Promotion allow for advanced strategic maneuvers, Chess Mate. GAMEPLAY: Players take turns moving one piece at a time. The game ends in checkmate, stalemate, resignation, or by agreement. STIPS: - Quick Chess mode is the best choice, the system will help you select the correct opponent (based on Elo). Get double reward and don't care about other options. - After 2 minutes you can make a Draw with your opponent (or step num 15), you can make a MutualAgreement. - Auto detect others DRAW: Stalemate, ThreefoldRepetition, FivefoldRepetition, SeventyFiveMoveRule, InsufficientMaterial. - You have 5 free chess classic offline modes. - Duel friends or Chess With Friends & Chess Time Live - Chess LiveGames online will be coming soon. - Chess Online 3D & World Of Chess 3D will be coming soon. FAQs: - Who invented chess? - Originating in India, chess has evolved from a game called Chaturanga (Chess Origins). - How do I improve at chess? - Use our tutorials, puzzles, and analysis tools, or challenge yourself with Advanced Defense Chess Puzzles. - What is the best chess game? - I don't know, but I can listing: "Chess Blitz", "Chess Universe", "Chess Clash", "Real Chess 3D", "Play Magnus", "Chess - Mates", "Chess Tactics", "Lite lichess", "Chess Legends", "Chess Challenge", "Chess Live", "SimpleChess", "Kingdom Chess", "Chessable",... Download Chess LIVE: Chess Multiplayer & Puzzles - The Ultimate Board Game now and become a Chess Master King with Chess Online, puzzles, modes, and more!

About

Chess Variants Studio

Features
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Play any of nine variants of chess with 8 levels, 1200-2100, against the custom Pulsar engine. Review games with variant engine analysis. Styles supported are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Atomic, Losers, Giveaway, Three Checks, Advanced Pawns, Reversed Pawns and Random Pieces. The rules are included in-app. No signup. Ad Free. Works Offline. The playing program is one i've designed and tested at different levels on internet chess servers in order to come up with the ratings on the board. Ratings range from 1200 to 2100 or 2200 depending on variant. Try the app for free. There's 10 free plays of pure variants like atomic, crazyhouse and loser's and 10 free plays of chessic variants like chess960 and 30 free views of played games with analysis. A single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited play and variant engine analysis. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing the player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. Back up to main line to undo. If the user goes looks at the Moves while reviewing, the game can be copied to the clipboard. The app comes with two skin themes, a reddish wood and a teal. Also here are multiple board and piece choices to choose from in settings.

Screenshots

Chess L!VE4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Chess L!VE at every 2 days against Chess Variants Studio's every 9 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess L!VE sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess L!VE ships an update every 2 days, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Chess L!VE versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess L!VEChess Variants Studio
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days โ€” betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better15.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size31 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNOGAME COMPANY LIMITEDMichael Adams

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess L!VE

One-time4
  • Apprentice Fund$0.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • Master Vault$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Grandmaster Treasury$49.99
1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$0.99

Questions

Is Chess L!VE free?
Chess L!VE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Variants Studio free?
Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chess L!VE or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Neither Chess L!VE nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess L!VE or Chess Variants Studio?
Chess L!VE ships an update every 2 days, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Chess L!VE was updated on November 8, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on November 13, 2026.

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