Blindfold Chess vs Chessnut Next
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blindfold Chess
Master chess visualization and memory by playing games entirely in your mind. This app guides you through step-by-step training, from basic square recognition to complex positions, using voice commands and offline play.
- Step-by-step blindfold chess training
- Voice-controlled move input
- Offline gameplay
- Visualization drills (square colors, coordinates, knight moves)
- Play against AI with adjustable difficulty
- Replay famous chess games
- Blindfold chess puzzles
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Play a full game of chess out loud, without ever seeing the board. DarkSquares teaches you blindfold chess step by step, so you can hold a whole position in your mind, track every piece from memory and play your moves by voice. No pieces, no problem. Whether you are a beginner who can barely picture one square or a club player looking to sharpen your calculation, this is visualization training that actually sticks. A GUIDED JOURNEY - Start at your very first square and build up to full blindfold chess - Earn Bronze, Silver and Gold as your inner board gets stronger - Clear, bite-sized steps so you are never lost VISUALIZATION DRILLS - Square colors: instantly tell light squares from dark - Coordinates and quadrants: lock the grid into memory - Knight moves: master the hardest piece to picture - Memory drills: hold entire positions in your head PLAY BLINDFOLD VS AI - Choose your difficulty: full board, faded disks, or a fully blank board - Type your moves, or speak them out loud - On-device speech recognition. Your voice stays private, always REPLAY FAMOUS GAMES - Walk through Morphy, Fischer, Kasparov and more, move by move - Rebuild the legendary games entirely in your mind BLINDFOLD PUZZLES - Follow a few moves in your head, then find the tactic - A puzzle rating that adjusts to your level FREE AND OFFLINE - Free to start, no account required - Works fully offline, so you can train anywhere Blindfold chess is the ultimate test of chess vision. Train it daily and your over-the-board calculation, memory and confidence grow with it. Train your mind to see the invisible board.
Chessnut Next
Enhance your chess experience by connecting a smart board to digitally record, analyze, and practice your games. Play against AI, review your moves with detailed reports, and train your skills with puzzles and human-like engines.
- Smart board connection
- Play against chess engines
- Online chess support
- Automatic game recording
- Local Stockfish analysis
- Tactical training
- Game review reports
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Chessnut Next is the companion app for Chessnut smart chessboards, bringing physical chess and digital tools together in one seamless experience. Connect a compatible Chessnut board to play naturally with real pieces while the app synchronizes positions, records moves, and saves your games automatically. Whether you are playing against a computer, practicing tactics, reviewing a finished game, or playing face-to-face, Chessnut Next helps you get more from every move. Key Features • Smart Board Connection Connect a compatible Chessnut electronic chessboard and synchronize physical positions with the app in real time. • Play Against Chess Engines Challenge computer opponents with different strengths and playing styles using either a physical board or the on-screen board. • Online Chess Support Use a compatible physical board with supported online chess platforms for a more natural playing experience. • Automatic Game Recording Create and save complete PGN records, including moves, players, results, and time information. • Local Stockfish Analysis Review games with on-device Stockfish analysis to explore evaluations, recommended moves, and critical mistakes. • Maia and Personalized Practice Train against human-like chess engines designed to provide realistic play across different skill levels. • Game Review Reports Generate easy-to-understand reports that highlight strong moves, mistakes, turning points, and opportunities to improve. • Puzzles and Tactical Training Improve calculation, pattern recognition, and practical decision-making with chess puzzles and focused exercises. • Board Editor and Position Recognition Create custom positions manually or use supported image-recognition features to extract a chess position from a photo. • Voice Moves In supported game modes, speak origin and destination squares to enter moves hands-free. • Chess Clock and Over-the-Board Play Record face-to-face games and manage player time with compatible Chessnut devices. • Game Library and Sharing Browse saved games, filter records by source, refresh game data, and share games or review results. • Multiple Languages Choose from a range of interface and content languages. From your first move to detailed post-game review, Chessnut Next combines smart-board connectivity, game recording, engine analysis, and training tools in one app.
Screenshots
Verdict
Blindfold Chess and Chessnut Next both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Blindfold Chess's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chessnut Next's. Blindfold Chess also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Chessnut Next's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Blindfold Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chessnut Next asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Blindfold Chess against 5.0 for Chessnut Next. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 33 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Blindfold Chess's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chessnut Next's.
Blindfold Chess ships an update weekly, Chessnut Next every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blindfold Chess | Chessnut Next |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (25 ratings) | 5.0 (33 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 33 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 369 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Antoine Tamano | Xenx Technology Limited |
Customer experience
Blindfold Chess
Chessnut Next
In-app purchases
Blindfold Chess
- Lifetime Access$44.99
Chessnut Next
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Blindfold Chess free?
Is Chessnut Next free?
Which has better reviews, Blindfold Chess or Chessnut Next?
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Which is updated more often, Blindfold Chess or Chessnut Next?
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