Comparison

Calvin Chess Trainer vs Checkmate Academy

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

Head to head
About

Calvin Chess Trainer

Features
Read full description

Calvin Chess Trainer drills the skills that puzzles take for granted: seeing the whole board, and reading and finding squares and moves without thinking. Daily warm-up Five quick timed drills, about five minutes: find the checks, spot the loose pieces, find the forks, name squares from Black's side, then a mate in one. Vision • Find Checks: every check in a real game position • Find Captures: every capture on the board • Hanging Pieces: every undefended piece • Forks & Skewers: the squares that hit two targets • Knight Sight: every square a knight reaches • Knight Flight: the fewest moves to the target • Pawn Attack: slip past a wall of pawns • Mate in 1: 400 positions, one move to mate Notation • Squares: find the square, fast, from White's side or Black's • Files & Ranks: name every file and rank • Read Moves: read a move, then play it • Piece Letters: K, Q, R, B and N at a glance • Piece Values: which side comes out ahead? Opening Explorer Play through the openings with book moves, Stockfish hints and an evaluation bar. Practice your way • Practice at your own pace, or race the clock in timed rounds • Every drill remembers its setup, and Continue picks up where you left off • Results show the answers you missed • Personal bests, saved on your device • Squares and pieces spoken aloud as you play • Works offline No ads, no in-app purchases and no account. From Internut Education.

About

Checkmate Academy

Features
Read full description

Checkmate Academy is your personal chess tutor — learn chess from absolute zero to confident player with structured, interactive lessons. LEARN AT YOUR PACE - 20 guided lessons across 5 levels, from how pieces move to advanced tactics - 72 interactive challenges that test your understanding on a real board - Progressive difficulty that adapts to your skill level SHARPEN YOUR TACTICS - Tactical puzzles to build pattern recognition - Opening drills covering 20 popular openings - Endgame training with 10 essential positions PLAY & IMPROVE - Play against AI at multiple difficulty levels - Study famous master games move by move - Board builder to set up and analyze any position AI COACH (iOS 26+) - Get personalized move explanations powered by Apple Intelligence - On-device AI analysis — private and fast, no internet required Built for chess lovers of all levels. No account needed. No ads. Just chess.

Screenshots

Calvin Chess Trainer4 screens
Checkmate Academy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Calvin Chess Trainer at every 5 days against Checkmate Academy's every 2 months. Calvin Chess Trainer also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calvin Chess Trainer ships an update every 5 days, Checkmate Academy every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Calvin Chess Trainer versus Checkmate Academy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalvin Chess TrainerCheckmate Academy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDAVID MARKLEAnupam Chugh

In-app purchases

None

Calvin Chess Trainer

No in-app purchases

None

Checkmate Academy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calvin Chess Trainer free?
Calvin Chess Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Checkmate Academy free?
Checkmate Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Calvin Chess Trainer or Checkmate Academy have ads?
Neither Calvin Chess Trainer nor Checkmate Academy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calvin Chess Trainer or Checkmate Academy?
Calvin Chess Trainer ships an update every 5 days, and Checkmate Academy every 2 months. Most recently, Calvin Chess Trainer was updated on November 9, 2026 and Checkmate Academy on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons