Comparison

Gambit vs Chess Variants Studio

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

Head to head
About

Gambit

Explore classic chess and five unique variants on a single board. Play against AI with adjustable difficulty, with friends offline, or online against others. Features include post-game analysis and a library of famous games.

Highlights
  • Classic Chess
  • Five Chess Variants
  • Computer AI Play
  • Pass-and-Play Mode
  • Online Multiplayer
  • Post-Game Analysis
  • Famous Game Library
Features
Read full description

Gambit is chess — and five chess worlds beyond it. One clean board, every way to play. GAME TYPES • Classic Chess — full rules: castling, en passant, promotion, draws. • Fischer Random (Chess960) — randomized back rank with generalized castling. • Open Borders (Horde) — 36 pawns storm a full army. • Turnabout (Crazyhouse) — capture a piece, then drop it back as your own. • Siamese (Bughouse) — two boards, captured pieces feed your partner. • Star Trek Tri-D — three-dimensional chess across seven boards. WAYS TO PLAY • Computer — five difficulty levels, from a gentle start to a real fight. Moves are instant. • Pass-and-play — two players on one device. • Online — invite a friend with a link, or find a match automatically. Live clocks, resign and draw offers, and you can watch other live games. MORE • Eight board themes. • Post-game analysis — an evaluation graph and move-quality marks. • A library of famous games to replay. • Optional cross-device game history with "Sign in with Knomee." No account is required to play. Sign in only if you want your game history synced across devices.

About

Chess Variants Studio

Features
Read full description

Play any of nine variants of chess with 8 levels, 1200-2100, against the custom Pulsar engine. Review games with variant engine analysis. Styles supported are Chess960, Crazyhouse, Atomic, Losers, Giveaway, Three Checks, Advanced Pawns, Reversed Pawns and Random Pieces. The rules are included in-app. No signup. Ad Free. Works Offline. The playing program is one i've designed and tested at different levels on internet chess servers in order to come up with the ratings on the board. Ratings range from 1200 to 2100 or 2200 depending on variant. Try the app for free. There's 10 free plays of pure variants like atomic, crazyhouse and loser's and 10 free plays of chessic variants like chess960 and 30 free views of played games with analysis. A single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited play and variant engine analysis. Played games are logged and can also be viewed/analyzed. When reviewing the player's games, users can override the moves and start making their own moves. Back up to main line to undo. If the user goes looks at the Moves while reviewing, the game can be copied to the clipboard. The app comes with two skin themes, a reddish wood and a teal. Also here are multiple board and piece choices to choose from in settings.

Screenshots

Gambit4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gambit at none against Chess Variants Studio's 1. Chess Variants Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Gambit asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gambit ships an update every 2 months, Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Gambit versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGambitChess Variants Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoseph MaloneMichael Adams

In-app purchases

None

Gambit

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$3.99

Questions

Is Gambit free?
Gambit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess Variants Studio free?
Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gambit or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Neither Gambit nor Chess Variants Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gambit or Chess Variants Studio?
Gambit ships an update every 2 months, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Gambit was updated on September 19, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on September 9, 2026.

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