Flamingo Chess vs ScrollChess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flamingo Chess
Read full descriptionHide full description
Flamingo Chess is plain Chess for you and your pals in Messages. No login is required, no tracking, no engine, just a game of Chess. Have fun everyone!
ScrollChess
Read full descriptionHide full description
Chess on Apple Watch you cannot mis-tap. A chess square on a watch is about half the size Apple's own guidelines set as the minimum for anything you tap. So ScrollChess does not ask you to tap one. The Digital Crown moves a crosshair from one legal option to the next, and a tap — anywhere on the screen — confirms it. Nothing on the board is a touch target, so there is nothing to miss. ON YOUR WRIST • Play a full game against a chess engine written for this app, at four levels — from beginner to a strong club player • A daily puzzle that takes about twenty seconds, with a streak. 1,048 of them are in the app, which is a new one every day for nearly three years • Add a complication and today's puzzle is one tap from the watch face • It all runs on the watch alone — no phone nearby, no signal, no account ON YOUR IPHONE • The same engine and the same daily puzzle, with direct taps on a larger board • Take a move back, replay it, and step through the game move by move • Pass and play: hand the phone to someone else and the board turns itself around between moves AN OPPONENT THAT PLAYS LIKE A PERSON The four levels are not one engine with the brakes on. A weaker level chooses among moves the search already approved, so it plays inaccurately rather than absurdly — it will punish a blunder but it will not hand you a queen for nothing. It also takes a moment to answer, because an opponent that replies instantly to a move you thought about is not an opponent, it is a machine. BUILT FOR THE WATCH FIRST Every number in this app came off a wrist rather than a monitor. The board fills the screen, the haptics are tuned so one pulse means one step of the crosshair, and the puzzles were filtered for lines short enough to solve while your arm is up. ACCESSIBILITY The board is fully navigable with VoiceOver on both platforms: every square announces where it is, what stands on it and what is happening to it, and can be played directly. NO ACCOUNTS, NO ADS, NO TRACKING There is nothing to sign into and nothing to switch off. The engine, the puzzles and your games live on your device. No analytics, no advertising, no data leaves the app — it works the same in Airplane Mode. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO There is no online play and no matchmaking with strangers. This is a game against the engine, a daily puzzle, and a board you can hand to the person next to you. The watch and the phone each keep their own games and their own streak — nothing syncs between them yet. One purchase. No subscription, no in-app purchases. Questions: hey@scrollchess.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Flamingo Chess at Free against ScrollChess's $6.99. ScrollChess's advantage is iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On 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
Flamingo Chess is free to download; ScrollChess costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Flamingo Chess | ScrollChess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $6.99 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Martin Kim Đưng-Phạm | ANDRII BONDAR |
In-app purchases
Flamingo Chess
No in-app purchases
ScrollChess
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Flamingo Chess free?
Is ScrollChess free?
Do Flamingo Chess or ScrollChess have ads?
Other comparisons















