Comparison

Checkmate Academy vs Chess Strategy

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

Head to head
About

Checkmate Academy

Features
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Checkmate Academy is your personal chess tutor โ€” 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 โ€” private and fast, no internet required Built for chess lovers of all levels. No account needed. No ads. Just chess.

About

Chess Strategy

Features
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SEE THE BOARD. FIND THE PLAN. Most chess apps beat you and move on. Chess Strategy: Coach & Learn explains what just happened, what the position wants, and which move gets you there โ€” while you play. GUIDED PLAY WITH THE OAKMASTER COACH Play a full game against the engine with a coach at your side. Before every move the coach names the idea, shows the line it is considering, and explains the plan behind it. Choose how much help you want: โ€ข Full Coach โ€” suggests the best move every turn, with the reasoning โ€ข Advisor โ€” stays quiet unless a move needs attention โ€ข Silent โ€” no in-game coaching, then a full review when the game ends Set the trainer anywhere from Beginner to Grand Master so the games stay hard enough to teach you something. 390 PUZZLES FROM REAL GAMES Thirteen themed sets cover the patterns that decide games: back-rank mates, deflection, discovered attacks, double checks, forks, hanging pieces, mate in one, pins, skewers, and more. Every position is taken from a real game, and each one is rated so you can feel yourself improving. STRUCTURED COURSES Work through opening principles, tactics, checkmate patterns, endgame technique, and positional play. Lessons are short, hands-on, and built around positions you actually have to solve. FREE PLAY Want a normal game? Play the Oakmaster or a friend on one device with no coaching at all. CHALLENGE THE COACH Disagree with the recommendation? Play your move anyway and the coach will tell you honestly whether it was better, equal, or worse โ€” and why. LEARN OFFLINE Everything runs on your iPhone. No account, no sign-in, and no internet connection required. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Chess Strategy collects no personal data. Your progress stays on your device. Chess Strategy Pro unlocks every course plus unlimited hints with a single one-time purchase โ€” no subscription. Questions or feedback? Reach us any time at kingjameshld@gmail.com or 646-323-2360.

Screenshots

Checkmate Academy3 screens
Chess Strategy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Checkmate Academy at none against Chess Strategy's 5. Chess Strategy's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Chess Strategy sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Checkmate Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Checkmate Academy ships an update every 2 months, Chess Strategy every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Checkmate Academy versus Chess Strategy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckmate AcademyChess Strategy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size15 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnupam ChughGreyscale holding LLC

In-app purchases

None

Checkmate Academy

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Chess Strategy

One-time5
  • 10 Hints$1.99
  • 45 Hints$6.99
  • Pro โ€” All Courses & Unlimited$14.99
Show 2 more
  • 125 Hints$17.99
  • 200 Hints$26.99

Questions

Is Checkmate Academy free?
Checkmate Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Strategy free?
Chess Strategy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Checkmate Academy or Chess Strategy have ads?
Neither Checkmate Academy nor Chess Strategy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Checkmate Academy or Chess Strategy?
Checkmate Academy ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Strategy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Checkmate Academy was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess Strategy on October 31, 2026.

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