Comparison

Chesswise vs Stupid Hard Chess

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

Head to head
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

About

Stupid Hard Chess

Experience chess with a unique twist where some of your pieces are hidden, forcing you to rely on memory and visualization. Test your skills across various difficulty levels and blindfold modes, with stakes determined before each game.

Highlights
  • Hidden piece gameplay
  • Multiple blindfold modes
  • Real chess engine
  • Adjustable difficulty tiers
  • Stakes-based scoring
  • Daily streak challenges
  • Limited board reveals
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Chess, but stupid hard. You play real chess against a real engine. One catch: some of YOUR pieces are hidden — they render as identical dots, and it's on you to remember which dot is the rook. That's the whole game. Hold the board in your head while an engine tries to take it apart. HOW BLIND DO YOU WANT TO BE? - Full Blind — every one of your pieces is a dot. Good luck. - Minor Blind — knights and bishops vanish. A reasonable place to start. - Semi Blind — half your army, hidden. - Random Blind — the app decides. You find out when you sit down. Every game is real chess with full rules, powered by a genuine engine running entirely on your phone. Four difficulty tiers, from "warming up" to Expert. No internet required to play. STAKES YOU AGREE TO UP FRONT Before every game, you see exactly what a win, draw, or loss is worth — and the harder your setup, the bigger the swing. That number is your Stupid Score. It goes up when you earn it and down when you don't. There's no hiding from it, and honestly, that's the point. Play daily to build your Stupid Streak. Break it and start over. We won't judge (the number will). WHEN YOUR MEMORY FAILS It will. You get a limited number of Board Reveals per game — a scan sweeps the board, shows you the truth for ten seconds, then takes it back. Auto-Peek can flash the board periodically if you want the training wheels. Move hints exist too, but they cost you score. Everything has a price here. STUPID HARD PRO - Build your own nightmare: hide exactly the pieces you choose, yours or the engine's, with full per-piece control - Advanced stats: win rates by setup, score history, records - 4 board reveals every game, no ads, nothing between you and the board Pro is a subscription ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Built for chess players who want to train visualization the honest way: by needing it. Privacy Policy: https://stupidhardchess.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://stupidhardchess.com/terms

Screenshots

Chesswise3 screens
Stupid Hard Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chesswise at none against Stupid Hard Chess's 2. Chesswise also leads on ads (none vs shown). Stupid Hard Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence 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. Stupid Hard Chess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Chesswise asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chesswise ships an update fortnightly, Stupid Hard Chess every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chesswise versus Stupid Hard Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChesswiseStupid Hard Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB140 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCuong NguyenYazid Masri

In-app purchases

None

Chesswise

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stupid Hard Chess

Subscriptions2
  • Stupid Hard Chess Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Stupid Hard Chess Pro - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Chesswise free?
Chesswise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stupid Hard Chess free?
Stupid Hard Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Chesswise or Stupid Hard Chess have ads?
Stupid Hard Chess shows ads; Chesswise does not.
Which is updated more often, Chesswise or Stupid Hard Chess?
Chesswise ships an update fortnightly, and Stupid Hard Chess every 9 days. Most recently, Chesswise was updated on October 12, 2026 and Stupid Hard Chess on October 12, 2026.

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