Comparison

CelestialChess vs Marshal Chess

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

Head to head
About

CelestialChess

Features
Read full description

CelestialChess is a fully offline Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) game against an on-device AI. The all-new 2.0 update removes every ad and refreshes the whole interface, so you can play a match anytime, anywhere. MULTI-LEVEL AI ‧ Five levels: Beginner, Easy, Normal, Hard, Master ‧ Lower levels make human-like slips so newcomers can win; higher levels play tight and challenge veterans ‧ Built-in opening book and endgame engine — varied openings, precise endgames ‧ A Pro-exclusive “Grandmaster” top level GET STRONGER ‧ Post-game review: every move flagged as best or mistake, so you see exactly where you went wrong ‧ AI coach: instant commentary on the move you just played, with a stronger suggestion ‧ Hints and take-backs: a nudge when you’re stuck, and a way back when you slip AUTHENTIC XIANGQI RULES ‧ Full rules: hobbling the horse’s leg, cannon screen-capture, flying general, no facing generals, repetition loss ‧ 10×9 board, river and palace — the real thing BOARD THEMES ‧ Classic wood, free ‧ Pro unlocks Ink, Jade, and Day / Night starry themes SHARE & IMPORT GAME RECORDS ‧ Export any game to Chinese notation and share it with friends (Pro) ‧ Paste a record to import and replay any great game PRIVACY & OFFLINE ‧ Fully offline and standalone — no registration, no sign-in ‧ No personal data collected, no tracking, no ads ‧ Independently made by Intoxicated Child Studio Play Xiangqi with an AI under the stars

About

Marshal Chess

This app offers a focused Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) experience with multiple game modes including adaptive AI coaching, traditional AI matches, and unique puzzle challenges. It features local multiplayer options and tools for studying real-world games, all within a clean, ad-free interface.

Highlights
  • Adaptive AI coaching
  • AI matches with difficulty levels
  • Jieqi (Hidden Chess) mode
  • Endgame Puzzles
  • Nearby Duel (local multiplayer)
  • Game Study with board recognition
Features
Read full description

Marshal Chess is a clean, focused Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) app for iPhone and iPad. No social noise — open it and play. Six modes: · Adaptive Coaching — the AI silently reads your level and stays just one step ahead, easing off when you are far ahead and pushing harder when you are behind. On your turn it lifts the piece for the strongest move to show you. No difficulty picker, no tests, no prompts · AI Match — five difficulty levels (Beginner to Master); the on-device engine's evaluation is a neural network distilled from a top engine, so you get a strong opponent even offline, and online Hard / Master are computed by a top engine on our server; save and resume any game, take back moves · Jieqi (Hidden Chess) — every piece except the generals starts face-down in a shuffled position and is revealed after its first move; revealed advisors and elephants may leave the palace and cross the river. The computer never peeks at hidden pieces · Endgame Puzzles — 90 classical compositions from the Ming-dynasty collection "Shi Qing Ya Qu", each with its source and original number; all 1,416 moves of the reference lines verified for legality and checkmate. Search by name or number, filter to unfinished · Nearby Duel — play someone next to you over a direct device-to-device connection. No data usage, no server, no shared network needed; just turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices. Game clocks with a per-move countdown, take-backs, Jieqi and automatic reconnection; a player who leaves can return to the same game from the lobby, and an optional password keeps strangers out · Game Study — when you face a real opponent over a physical board, enter both sides' moves and get the strongest move on your turn. Start from the opening position or use the board editor. Live camera and photo recognition run on-device, with a review step to correct or complete the position; optional cloud enhancement is available Design notes: · Calm, modern Chinese look: warm paper background, clerical-script glyphs and nine board themes to choose from (Warm Ivory, Kaya Wood, Pale Celadon, Ebony and more), switchable even mid-game; a bundled Kai typeface works offline and dark mode is supported · Just the board: no title bar or status line during play — Menu at the top left, More at the bottom right, in Liquid Glass · Background music, a full sound set and Mandarin move announcements, adjustable in-game or silenced to let your own music play · Move and capture animations play in sequence for a clear rhythm · No ads, no in-app purchases, no account required. Recognition runs on-device by default. If you choose cloud enhancement and consent, the selected photo is sent through Cloudflare to Anthropic; see our privacy policy Xiangqi is interesting enough on its own. We just built a good board for it.

Screenshots

CelestialChess2 screens
Marshal Chess3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marshal Chess at none against CelestialChess's 1. Marshal Chess also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CelestialChess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Marshal Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, Marshal Chess every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
CelestialChess versus Marshal Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestialChessMarshal Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKuo-Tsun HuangSANOINV INC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CelestialChess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Marshal Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CelestialChess free?
CelestialChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marshal Chess free?
Marshal Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CelestialChess or Marshal Chess have ads?
Neither CelestialChess nor Marshal Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CelestialChess or Marshal Chess?
CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, and Marshal Chess every 3 days. Most recently, CelestialChess was updated on October 28, 2026 and Marshal Chess on October 31, 2026.

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