Comparison

Think Like a Master vs Chesswise

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

Head to head
About

Think Like a Master

Features
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Can you think like a chess legend? Think Like a Master puts you in the shoes of José Raúl Capablanca — one of the greatest chess players who ever lived. Study his real games, guess his moves, and discover what separates world-class chess thinking from the rest. HOW IT WORKS Each session replays a real Capablanca game from his historical record. After a short opening, you take control. For every position where Capablanca had to make a decision, you make your move first — then see how the master responded. Did you find his move? Did you find something even better? Were you close, or did you miss something critical? WHAT YOU'LL LEARN • How a world champion evaluates positions and selects moves • Which moves Stockfish considers the top candidates in any position • Where your thinking diverges from elite-level play • How to spot the tactical and strategic patterns used by the greats THE CAPABLANCA AI CHALLENGE At the heart of the app is an AI model trained exclusively on Capablanca's games — not just to find good moves, but to find his moves. The model has studied his patterns, his style, his preferences. It knows he favored clean piece activity over speculative attacks. It knows he simplified when ahead. It knows how he thought. Every time you guess a move, the AI is guessing too. You're not just competing against Stockfish's cold engine evaluation — you're trying to outthink a model built in Capablanca's image. Did you find the move the engine rates highest? Or did you find the move that he would have played? Sometimes those are the same. Often they're not. That tension is where the real chess learning happens. FEATURES • 597 real games from Capablanca's complete career • Stockfish-powered analysis shows the top 5 candidate moves for every position • AI style model trained on Capablanca's games predicts his preferred move • See when you think like the engine, when you think like the master, and when you found something neither did • Post-game report card grades your performance with detailed statistics • Deep analysis mode reveals continuations after every key decision • Fully on-device — no internet required for analysis • Covers his full career from 1901 through 1939 YOUR REPORT CARD After each game you receive a full breakdown: • How often you matched Capablanca exactly • How often your move was in the top 5 candidates • How often you found something better than the master • Your blunder count and where you went wrong MORE MASTERS COMING Capablanca is just the beginning. Future updates will bring more legendary players from chess history — each with their own AI model trained on their unique style. Every great player thought differently. Every one is worth studying. FOR ALL CHESS PLAYERS Whether you're learning the game or pushing toward a higher rating, studying master games is one of the most effective ways to improve. Think Like a Master makes it interactive — not passive. Stop watching. Start thinking.

About

Chesswise

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AI Chess Coach is a focused chess app for learning while you play. Play against a Stockfish-powered opponent, choose your side, adjust engine strength, and get help from an AI chess mentor when you need it. The AI mentor can explain the current position, suggest plans, and highlight immediate threats using the board state, move history, and engine recommendation. Features: - Play as White or Black - Adjustable engine difficulty - Stockfish-powered move generation - AI mentor explanations

Screenshots

Think Like a Master3 screens
Chesswise3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chesswise at none against Think Like a Master's 1. Chesswise also leads on ads (none vs shown). Think Like a Master's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.1). On price and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Think Like a Master sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chesswise asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Think Like a Master ships an update every 2 weeks, Chesswise fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 9, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Think Like a Master versus Chesswise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThink Like a MasterChesswise
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth SparksCuong Nguyen

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Think Like a Master

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
None

Chesswise

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Think Like a Master free?
Think Like a Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chesswise free?
Chesswise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Think Like a Master or Chesswise have ads?
Think Like a Master shows ads; Chesswise does not.
Which is updated more often, Think Like a Master or Chesswise?
Think Like a Master ships an update every 2 weeks, and Chesswise fortnightly. Most recently, Think Like a Master was updated on September 9, 2026 and Chesswise on September 9, 2026.

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