Comparison

MindChess vs Chess Tactics Trainer

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

Head to head
About

MindChess

This app offers daily chess training designed to enhance mental visualization and blindfold play. It features mini-games that improve calculation, memory, and concentration, inspired by grandmaster training methods. Practice exercises focus on board elements without needing a physical board.

Highlights
  • Mental visualization training
  • Blindfold chess practice
  • Calculation and memory improvement
  • Concentration exercises
  • Mini-games inspired by grandmasters
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

MindChess is a daily chess training app focused on mental visualization and blindfold play. Improve your calculation, memory, and concentration through short mini-games inspired by how grandmasters train their minds. Practice exercises such as recognizing square colors, knight jumps, coordinates, or diagonals. Beat your records, track your progress, and train your mind without a board. Perfect for amateur players who want to sharpen their visualization and calculation skills. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://nsstudent.dev/MindChessLanding/privacypolicy/

About

Chess Tactics Trainer

Features
Read full description

Solve chess puzzles blindfold - no board, just the piece list. Chess Tactics Trainer lets you build the position in your head, calculate the winning line and tap in your move. Few exercises sharpen visualisation and calculation as much - and you get the same training on the board too. BLINDFOLD TRAINING - THE HEART OF THE APP No board, only the piece list: "White: Kg1, Re7, Bc3 ...". You picture the position, find the best move and enter it with compact keys: the piece (none for a pawn), then file and rank of the destination square - for example Re8. Castling has its own keys. Nothing gives the answer away, because you no longer pick from a list of legal moves - you announce your move just like in a real blindfold game. - 5,000 blindfold puzzles, difficulty rising gradually from 600 to 2500 Elo - Optional strict mode: a move that is impossible in the position counts as a wrong answer - Separate blindfold rating, so you can see how your visualisation improves - The input screen fits completely even on small iPhones - no scrolling, full focus on the position TRAIN WITH BOARD The position is in front of you. Drag a piece directly or select the origin and destination squares. From 200,000 puzzles the app draws positions rated within 50 points of your current rating - challenging, never overwhelming. CHECK AGAINST STOCKFISH If not everything was right in a session, you can replay the position and try your own line. Stockfish answers at full strength and shows the evaluation after every move - so you work out yourself why your move fails, instead of just being shown the solution. YOUR RATING After every session the app calculates your new rating using the FIDE Elo method: each puzzle counts as an opponent with its own rating, K factor 20, and your thinking time affects the result. You start at 1200 on the board and 600 blindfold. STATISTICS Every session becomes a visible stage: rating history, accuracy, average time, personal best and the next milestone. So you can see where you stand and what comes next. 8 LANGUAGES The app is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian. Switch the language directly in the app at any time - independent of your device settings. NO DISTRACTIONS - No ads - No subscription - a single purchase - No account, no sign-in - Fully usable offline, on a plane or on the train - iPhone and iPad FREE TRIAL AND FULL VERSION 30 board puzzles and 10 blindfold puzzles are free. The full version permanently unlocks all 200,000 board puzzles and all 5,000 blindfold puzzles. Buy once, no subscription - restorable on every device using the same Apple Account.

Screenshots

MindChess4 screens
Chess Tactics Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess Tactics Trainer at none against MindChess's 2. Chess Tactics Trainer also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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. MindChess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Chess Tactics Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
MindChess versus Chess Tactics Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindChessChess Tactics Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB100 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeromar megdadiElisabeth Zuyeva

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MindChess

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription$0.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year
None

Chess Tactics Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MindChess free?
MindChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Tactics Trainer free?
Chess Tactics Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MindChess or Chess Tactics Trainer have ads?
Neither MindChess nor Chess Tactics Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MindChess or Chess Tactics Trainer?
MindChess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chess Tactics Trainer every 3 weeks. Most recently, MindChess was updated on October 10, 2026 and Chess Tactics Trainer on October 8, 2026.

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