Comparison

Chess Champion vs ChessImprover

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

Head to head
About

Chess Champion

Features
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Chess Champion is a complete chess app that works fully offline. Play a Stockfish-powered AI from true beginner to grandmaster, solve chess puzzles, drill endgames and openings, and review every game move by move. No internet, no account. PLAY CHESS AGAINST THE COMPUTER • 10 bot levels, from Beginner to Grandmaster. Level 1 is genuinely beatable when you're starting out; the top levels will test strong club players. • Beat a level to unlock the next one, and earn XP as your player level grows. • Take back a move when you need to. • Unfinished games are saved, so you can pick up right where you left off. TWO-PLAYER CHESS ON ONE DEVICE Play a friend face to face on the same phone or tablet, with or without a clock. PUZZLES AND TRAINING • A daily puzzle and puzzle streaks, from 1,700+ tactics puzzles. • 170+ endgame drills: learn to convert winning positions against the engine. • An openings trainer with 140+ openings. • A coordinate trainer to learn the board by heart. GAME REVIEW AND ANALYSIS • Review any finished game move by move with the Stockfish chess engine. • Accuracy, move quality (best move, mistake, blunder) and an evaluation graph show where the game turned. • A free analysis board with engine evaluation and best lines. • A board editor: set up any position, then analyze it or play it out. CHESS CLOCK A standalone chess clock and game timer for over-the-board games: blitz, rapid and classical time controls, with increment. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Every game goes into your game history. Unlock achievements, keep your streaks, and follow your progress against the bots, in puzzles and in drills. MAKE IT YOURS Board themes and piece sets, sound effects, and light or dark mode. Available in 9 languages. CHESS CHAMPION PRO Pro is optional. It removes ads and adds unlimited deep game reviews, unlimited hints and takebacks, automatic streak protection, instant access to every bot level, and exclusive board themes. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://chesschampion.app/privacy-policy/ Questions or ideas: chess@sveltesolutions.com

About

ChessImprover

Enhance your chess skills with a comprehensive training app. Play with an AI coach, solve thousands of puzzles, build opening repertoires, and master endgames. All features run offline on your device.

Highlights
  • AI coach with spoken commentary
  • Adjustable engine strength (500-2900 Elo)
  • Game review with plain English explanations
  • 23,000 tactical puzzles
  • Opening repertoire builder
  • Endgame drills
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

ChessImprover is a complete chess training app: play with a coach by your side, solve puzzles, build an opening repertoire, and master the endgames — powered by a strong engine that runs entirely on your device. PLAY WITH A COACH — NEW Relaxed, untimed games with a coach commenting on every move you make — in plain words, not chess notation. The coach speaks its advice out loud (you can turn the voice off), names the openings you play, and when something goes wrong it offers to take the move back and try again, with a hint if you're stuck. PLAY AT YOUR LEVEL Challenge the built-in engine anywhere from 500 to 2900 Elo. Climb the ladder of 25 rated bots, or play relaxed unrated games with no clock. Stuck? Ask for a hint. REVIEW EVERY GAME Every move explained in plain English — what worked, what didn't, and what your opponent's move set up. Inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders are flagged move by move, the summary shows the turning point and what to train next, and you can watch the whole game back as a narrated replay. See exactly where you left your opening prep, and explore alternatives on the analysis board. SOLVE 23,000 PUZZLES Tactics from real games, matched to your level. Rated mode tracks your own puzzle rating, timed mode races the clock in 3, 5, and 10-minute rushes, and custom mode lets you pick a difficulty and solve at your own pace. BUILD A REAL OPENING REPERTOIRE Answer a few questions and the wizard assembles an opening repertoire for White or Black — real lines with clear explanations, from simple beginner systems to a full club repertoire. Then drill your lines with spaced repetition so they stick. MASTER THE ENDGAMES THAT DECIDE GAMES Curated drills for the endgames every player must know: queen and rook checkmates, king-and-pawn opposition, and the Lucena and Philidor rook endings. Win the winning ones, hold the draws. LEARN FROM ZERO New to chess? A built-in guide teaches the rules from the very first move. Private by design: no account, no sign-up. Everything — the engine, the puzzles, even the coach's voice — runs offline on your device. Questions or feedback? chessimproverapp@gmail.com

Screenshots

Chess Champion4 screens
ChessImprover4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessImprover at none against Chess Champion's 3. ChessImprover also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence 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 Champion sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ChessImprover asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Chess Champion against 5.0 for ChessImprover. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Champion ships an update every 3 weeks, ChessImprover fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chess Champion versus ChessImprover: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ChampionChessImprover
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB118 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSvelte SolutionsMARTIN BERNT ANDERSSON

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Chess Champion

Subscriptions2
  • Chess Champion Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Chess Champion Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Chess Champion Pro (Lifetime)$29.99
None

ChessImprover

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chess Champion free?
Chess Champion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChessImprover free?
ChessImprover is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chess Champion or ChessImprover?
Chess Champion and ChessImprover are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Chess Champion or ChessImprover have ads?
Chess Champion shows ads; ChessImprover does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess Champion or ChessImprover?
Chess Champion ships an update every 3 weeks, and ChessImprover fortnightly. Most recently, Chess Champion was updated on November 12, 2026 and ChessImprover on October 31, 2026.

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