Comparison

Chess vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess

Features
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Chess-3D helps add new layers of flexibility to your brain’s perceptual machinery as you exercise your mind planning strategic defenses and bold attacks into another dimension. All pieces move in the same basic formations as 2D chess, but now with the option of vertical-movement components in 3D-space. Simply select a piece with a mouse-click, select the squares distance to move it and then a 3D or 2D directional arrow to reach the square you are targeting. Invalid moves are rejected. It really is that simple. You can play against someone on one device as the boards rotate after each move, online against friends via Game Centre or against the computer AI. For visual clarity red pieces are traditional-chess white pieces and blue is black. User controls allow you to rotate and zoom to easily see piece positions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chess

Features
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Chess with one capture rule changed — and that one change rewires how you think. THE RULE Pieces can only capture the same type. • Pawns capture pawns • Knights capture knights • Queens capture queens • Kings still capture anything (like normal chess) Everything else is normal: check, checkmate, castling, en passant, promotion. WHY PLAY THIS Regular chess rewards muscle memory. Openings on autopilot. Patterns you stop questioning. Here, every capture is a decision. Positions that look like blunders aren’t. Safe-looking pieces suddenly aren’t. It’s a workout for calculation — the kind that transfers back when you return to standard chess. FEATURES • Full games vs CPU (multiple strengths) or pass-and-play • Offline — no account required • Weird-rule mate puzzles built for this capture rule • Themes and piece sets • Optional clocks If you’re stuck in the same games, try a rule that won’t let your hands play for you.

Screenshots

Chess3 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess at none against Chess's shown. Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, 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. Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Chess every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Chess versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessChess
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGareth CostaDavid Medawar

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chess

Subscriptions2
  • Chess-3D Premium$0.991 Month
  • Chess-3D Premium Yearly14 Days trial$4.991 Year
1 purchases

Chess

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$1.99

Questions

Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chess or Chess have ads?
Chess shows ads; Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess or Chess?
Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chess every 5 days. Most recently, Chess was updated on October 9, 2026 and Chess on October 11, 2026.

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