Comparison

TriLevelChess 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

TriLevelChess

Features
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EXPERIENCE CHESS IN THREE DIMENSIONS Tri Level Chess reimagines the classic game with a revolutionary vertical twist. Play on three stacked boards where pieces can move up and down between levels, creating entirely new tactical possibilities and strategic depth. MASTER VERTICAL STRATEGY - Move pieces across three parallel chess boards - Rooks ascend and descend vertically like elevators - Knights leap between levels with devastating effect - Bishops cut diagonal paths through multiple planes - Every piece gains new attacking angles and escape routes MANY EXCITING VARIANTS Classic 3D Chess Experience traditional chess rules across three dimensions. Perfect for learning the vertical strategy fundamentals. Chess960 (Fischer Random) Randomized starting positions on three levels create 960 unique opening configurations. No memorized openingsโ€”just pure strategy. Atomic Chess Captures trigger explosive chain reactions! When pieces capture, both attacker and captured piece (plus adjacent non-pawns) vanish in a blast. Kings can never capture. Aggressive tactics meet calculated risk. Crazyhouse Captured pieces join your hand and can be dropped back onto any level! Place opponent's pieces as your own for wild tactical combinations across all three boards. Looming Extinction Your chess world is shrinking. Can you prevail before there are not moves left? Frontier Chess Your chess world is about to expand! King of the Hill Move your king to the center area for a quick win! PLAY YOUR WAY - Challenge the AI with three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard) - Play locally against friends with pass-and-play - Compete asynchronously via Remote Play - share moves through messages or email - Set up custom positions and puzzles - Choose starting levels: both on the same board, or split between top and bottom POWERFUL FEATURES - See valid moves highlighted across all three levels - Inspect enemy piece threats with long-press - Full undo/redo navigation through game history - Complete move log tracking - Material advantage calculator - Optional chess clock with customizable time controls - Save and load multiple games - Share positions with friends - Export games for analysis - Setup positions and share with friends THOUGHTFUL DESIGN - Clean, intuitive interface designed for iPad and iPhone - Smooth piece dragging with haptic feedback - Zoom and pan for detailed board inspection - Portrait and landscape support - No ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases - Buy once, play forever PERFECT FOR - Chess players seeking new challenges beyond 2D - Strategy game enthusiasts who love deep tactical puzzles - Puzzle creators exploring three-dimensional tactics - Friends looking for a unique competitive experience - Anyone curious about chess with a vertical dimension THREE BOARDS. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES. Download Tri Level Chess and discover a whole new dimension of strategy.

About

Chess Variants Studio

Features
Read full description

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

TriLevelChess4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chess Variants Studio at Free against TriLevelChess's $0.99. Chess Variants Studio also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). TriLevelChess's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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

Chess Variants Studio is free to download; TriLevelChess costs $0.99 up front. Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TriLevelChess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TriLevelChess ships an update every 2 months, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
TriLevelChess versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTriLevelChessChess Variants Studio
Price$0.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.615.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid Michael MatusowMichael Adams

In-app purchases

None

TriLevelChess

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$3.99

Questions

Is TriLevelChess free?
TriLevelChess costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Variants Studio free?
Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TriLevelChess or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Neither TriLevelChess nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TriLevelChess or Chess Variants Studio?
TriLevelChess ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, TriLevelChess was updated on September 7, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on September 9, 2026.

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