Heatmap Chess vs Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Heatmap Chess
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Heatmap.Chess teaches you to read a chess board the way grandmasters do — as a map of control, not a list of pieces. EVERY NUMBER IS A THREAT Each square shows how many pieces want to attack it. A "3" means three pieces are converging on that square. Drop your dock pieces in the right places, and every correct placement cools the heat by one. Get all numbers to zero — puzzle solved. WHAT'S INSIDE • Hand-crafted themed rooms with graduated difficulty • Fresh daily puzzles — keep your streak alive • Heart system + combo bonuses • Cross-device sync — pick up where you left off • Quiet, focused dark UI built for one hand • One-time purchase removes ads + unlocks every room SHARPEN YOUR CHESS VISION No openings to memorize, no notation to decode. You start seeing what grandmasters see when they sit down at a board — the geometry of attacks. A training tool for beginners and experienced players alike. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No social feeds. No leaderboards screaming at you. Just numbers, pieces, and the small satisfaction of every count dropping to zero.
Chess
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Chess with one capture rule changed — and that one change rewires how you think. THE RULE Pieces can only capture the same type. • Pawns capture pawns • Knights capture knights • Queens capture queens • Kings still capture anything (like normal chess) Everything else is normal: check, checkmate, castling, en passant, promotion. WHY PLAY THIS Regular chess rewards muscle memory. Openings on autopilot. Patterns you stop questioning. Here, every capture is a decision. Positions that look like blunders aren’t. Safe-looking pieces suddenly aren’t. It’s a workout for calculation — the kind that transfers back when you return to standard chess. FEATURES • Full games vs CPU (multiple strengths) or pass-and-play • Offline — no account required • Weird-rule mate puzzles built for this capture rule • Themes and piece sets • Optional clocks If you’re stuck in the same games, try a rule that won’t let your hands play for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Chess at every 5 days against Heatmap Chess's every 2 months. Heatmap Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Heatmap Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Heatmap Chess ships an update every 2 months, Chess every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Heatmap Chess | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Utku Kucu | David Medawar |
In-app purchases
Heatmap Chess
- Unlock Everything$4.99
Chess
- Unlock Full Game$1.99
Questions
Is Heatmap Chess free?
Is Chess free?
Do Heatmap Chess or Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Heatmap Chess or Chess?
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