Comparison

Eat Chess vs Notation Chess

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

Head to head
About

Eat Chess

This game combines chess mechanics with a merge puzzle on a compact 4x4 board. Strategically move pieces to merge them into higher-level ones, managing board space and building combos. It offers both solo challenges with various time controls and local multiplayer on a single device.

Highlights
  • Chess merge puzzle gameplay
  • Compact 4x4 board
  • Solo play with time controls
  • Local versus multiplayer
  • Castle Swap mechanic
  • Combo multipliers
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Royal Merge is a chess merge puzzle played on a compact 4×4 board. Pick one piece, move it by simplified chess rules, and merge it with a matching piece of the same type and level. Pawns become Knights, then Bishops, Rooks, Queens, Kings, and higher-level Pawns. The board fills fast. A quiet setup move can matter as much as the merge it opens. HOW IT PLAYS Select a piece. Legal squares light up. Move to an empty square, merge with a match, or use Castle Swap when a same-level King and Rook line up with a clear path. Every legal move into empty space and every Castle Swap adds a new Pawn. Pawn Spawn adds a Pawn on every second merge. Royal Reserve drops a Level 1 Pawn, Knight, Bishop, or Rook after every five successful actions. Every arrival can help, and every arrival takes space. Back-to-back merges build a combo multiplier. A move into empty space or a Castle Swap breaks the chain, so timing matters. SOLO Play without a clock, add a Player Clock, set an Increment, or cap the run with a Turn Limit. Official Solo runs can count toward local records, Game Center leaderboards, and achievements. Solo also includes Hint. It points out possible moves, costs part of your current score, and never plays the move for you. VERSUS Two players share one board on the same device. Player 1 starts. After each legal action, the turn passes and the board switches to the active player's chosen chess set. Pieces are shared, not owned. The active player scores only when they make a merge. Versus supports per-player clocks, Increment, a shared Game Clock, and Turn Limit. If a timed player clock hits zero, Clock Collapse keeps 20% of that player's score, resets the clock, and leaves that player on turn. The match continues. COSMETIC OPTIONS Start with free chess sets and the Quiet Royal theme, or add optional cosmetic sets, themes, and the Royal Patron badge. Purchases do not change movement, scores, spawns, hints, timers, Castle Swap, leaderboards, or match results. APPLE WATCH Play Solo or Battle from the Watch app with the same 4×4 board, local save and resume, time controls, Solo undo, direct tap controls, optional Digital Crown selection, ten free board presets, and ten free piece styles. Watch play is standalone and does not require an iPhone connection.

About

Notation Chess

Practice chess visualization and play games using only standard notation, directly from your Apple Watch. This app offers adjustable difficulty and engine settings, with the ability to review moves and peek at the board when needed.

Highlights
  • Play chess on Apple Watch
  • Practice with standard chess notation
  • Adjustable difficulty and engine settings
  • Review move history
  • Peek at the board feature
  • Undo moves
Features
Read full description

Play notation-first chess on the go, directly from your Apple Watch. Notation Chess is designed for players who want to practice visualization and play without relying on a full board view. Choose your color and difficulty, select moves using standard chess notation, and review your move history as the game progresses. The app is powered by the lightweight Chal chess engine, with adjustable search depth and move variety settings. When you need a quick visual reference, use Peek at Board to check the current position. You can also undo moves and start a new game at any time. Features - Play chess on the go from Apple Watch - Practice using standard chess notation - Powered by the Chal chess engine - Choose your color and difficulty level - Review the complete move history - Peek at the board when needed - Undo moves - Adjust engine search depth and move variety

Screenshots

Eat Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notation Chess at none against Eat Chess's 4. Notation Chess also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Eat Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Notation Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Eat Chess against 5.0 for Notation Chess. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Eat Chess versus Notation Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEat ChessNotation Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid LewZheng Liang

Customer experience

Eat Chess

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Notation Chess

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Eat Chess

One-time4
  • Chess Sets Pack$1.99
  • Themes Pack$1.99
  • Royal Bundle$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Royal Patron$9.99
None

Notation Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Eat Chess free?
Eat Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notation Chess free?
Notation Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Eat Chess or Notation Chess?
Eat Chess and Notation Chess are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Eat Chess or Notation Chess have ads?
Neither Eat Chess nor Notation Chess shows ads.

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