Comparison

Think Like a Master vs Chessko

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

Chessko

Features
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Welcome to Chessko – a chess application designed for lovers of beautiful aesthetics, fluid gameplay, and a premium user experience across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Whether you are a beginner learning the basics or an experienced player looking for a serious challenge, Chessko offers a perfectly tailored environment. Key Features: • STUNNING PIECE STYLES Customize the look of the chess pieces to match your style! Choose from 8 unique, high-definition piece sets: Classic, Neon (with a beautiful glow), Wood (natural grain), Metal, Flat, Bold, Gameroom, and stunning Glassmorphic pieces. • DYNAMIC BOARD THEMES (8 BOARD DESIGNS) Switch boards in an instant. Select classic wooden setups, minimalist monochrome interfaces, or special radiant themes like Midnight Aurora and Cyber Lavender that cast a subtle spotlight under the pieces. • INTUITIVE SWIPE GESTURES Cycle through board themes by swiping left/right across the board, or change piece styles by swiping up/down. Integrated with subtle haptic feedback, it feels tactile and premium. Swipe gestures can be toggled on or off at any time. • LOCAL CHESS AI & INTEGRATED STOCKFISH ENGINE Play offline against our balanced local AI tailored to your skill level: - Beginner: Ideal for learning, searching 2 plies deep with a 25% blunder rate. - Amateur: Relaxed gameplay searching 4 plies deep with an 8% blunder rate. - Advanced: A solid challenge searching 10 plies deep with zero mistakes. Or take on the world-class Stockfish engine, offering specific strength levels from 1300 ELO up to 2600 ELO, plus maximum raw capability. • NATIVE UI & MACOS SUPPORT Chessko is built for Apple platforms, featuring a clean system background that seamlessly transitions between Light and Dark mode. Play comfortably on iPhone, iPad, or natively on your Mac with mouse, trackpad, and keyboard support. • 100% PRIVATE & AD-FREE Enjoy chess without interruptions. Chessko has no ads, requires no login or accounts, and collects absolutely zero user data. Everything runs locally on your device. • MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT The app is fully localized, allowing you to change the language directly in the settings sheet. Supported languages include: Serbian, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Hindi. Download Chessko today and elevate your chess experience!

Screenshots

Think Like a Master3 screens
Chessko4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chessko at none against Think Like a Master's 1. Chessko also leads on ads (none vs shown). Think Like a Master's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price and device support 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. Chessko asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Think Like a Master versus Chessko: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThink Like a MasterChessko
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth SparksFilip Djordjevic

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Think Like a Master

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
None

Chessko

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 Chessko free?
Chessko is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Think Like a Master or Chessko have ads?
Think Like a Master shows ads; Chessko does not.

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