OpenMate vs ChessCounter

Learn chess openings, or play chess against a strong, fast engine with built-in coaching and analysis tools. OpenMate runs entirely on your device. No internet connection, no accounts, and no data collection. Everything is local, private, and instant. Designed for both play and improvement, OpenMate combines engine strength with visual guidance and practical coaching to help you understand the game as you play. Features: • Strong, fast engine with instant responses: ~4M nodes per second on an iPhone 16 (half on Low Power Mode), ~2800 ELO at 3s/move! • Fully offline: no network access required • Hint mode with visual coaching: - Opening guidance with move suggestions and lists (multicolor arrows) - Engine-recommended moves (green arrows) - Threat visualization (red arrows) • Built-in opening knowledge to guide early play • Strategy tips with both chess terminology and plain-English explanations • Play as White or Black • Flip the board anytime • Undo moves freely at any point • No clock: play at your own pace without time pressure OpenMate is designed to remove friction and distractions. There are no ads, no sign-ups, and no interruptions. Just chess. Whether you want to practice openings, analyze positions, or simply play strong games offline, OpenMate gives you a focused and responsive experience. Built for iPhone and iPad, tested across devices, and optimized for smooth performance.

ChessCounter teaches popular chess openings through guided, move-by-move lessons. Pick an opening, choose which side to play, and follow the arrows drawn on the board for every move you need to make. HOW LESSONS WORK Every move you play is scored against the taught line, chess.com-style (Brilliant, Great, Best, Excellent, Good, Book, Inaccuracy, Mistake, Miss, Blunder). Any move other than the taught one is still played onto the board, badged as a blunder, and ends the lesson right there. Undo just that move to retry it, or restart the lesson from the beginning. 13 OPENINGS AND TRAPS, EITHER SIDE Tennison Gambit, Scholar's Mate, Italian Game, Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defense, Caro-Kann, French Defense, Queen's Gambit, London System, Englund Gambit, King's Gambit, Scandinavian Defense, Budapest Gambit. Every opening system teaches both White and Black, not just the side that "traditionally" plays it, and each one offers several named variants to drill, or "Surprise me" to react to whatever the opponent throws at you. FOUR WAYS TO PLAY - Learn: the guided lessons above. - Free play: a full unscripted game against a built-in chess engine. - Play in person: pass-and-play on one device, no engine, the board flips after every move. - Identify the opening: watch an opening's moves get revealed and name it before it finishes revealing, then, for the two traps, play out the real refutation. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS A points total and a day streak follow you across every mode, alongside per-variant lesson completion. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no analytics, no internet connection required. ChessCounter makes no network requests of any kind. Every lesson and every game happens entirely on your own phone or tablet. FREE, NO CATCH All 13 openings, unlimited, from the first launch. No in-app purchases, no subscriptions. Available in English and Spanish, with light and dark themes and a choice of piece art.