Comparison

ChessImprover vs Brass Pawn

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

Head to head
About

ChessImprover

Enhance your chess skills with a comprehensive training app. Play with an AI coach, solve thousands of puzzles, build opening repertoires, and master endgames. All features run offline on your device.

Highlights
  • AI coach with spoken commentary
  • Adjustable engine strength (500-2900 Elo)
  • Game review with plain English explanations
  • 23,000 tactical puzzles
  • Opening repertoire builder
  • Endgame drills
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

ChessImprover is a complete chess training app: play with a coach by your side, solve puzzles, build an opening repertoire, and master the endgames — powered by a strong engine that runs entirely on your device. PLAY WITH A COACH — NEW Relaxed, untimed games with a coach commenting on every move you make — in plain words, not chess notation. The coach speaks its advice out loud (you can turn the voice off), names the openings you play, and when something goes wrong it offers to take the move back and try again, with a hint if you're stuck. PLAY AT YOUR LEVEL Challenge the built-in engine anywhere from 500 to 2900 Elo. Climb the ladder of 25 rated bots, or play relaxed unrated games with no clock. Stuck? Ask for a hint. REVIEW EVERY GAME Every move explained in plain English — what worked, what didn't, and what your opponent's move set up. Inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders are flagged move by move, the summary shows the turning point and what to train next, and you can watch the whole game back as a narrated replay. See exactly where you left your opening prep, and explore alternatives on the analysis board. SOLVE 23,000 PUZZLES Tactics from real games, matched to your level. Rated mode tracks your own puzzle rating, timed mode races the clock in 3, 5, and 10-minute rushes, and custom mode lets you pick a difficulty and solve at your own pace. BUILD A REAL OPENING REPERTOIRE Answer a few questions and the wizard assembles an opening repertoire for White or Black — real lines with clear explanations, from simple beginner systems to a full club repertoire. Then drill your lines with spaced repetition so they stick. MASTER THE ENDGAMES THAT DECIDE GAMES Curated drills for the endgames every player must know: queen and rook checkmates, king-and-pawn opposition, and the Lucena and Philidor rook endings. Win the winning ones, hold the draws. LEARN FROM ZERO New to chess? A built-in guide teaches the rules from the very first move. Private by design: no account, no sign-up. Everything — the engine, the puzzles, even the coach's voice — runs offline on your device. Questions or feedback? chessimproverapp@gmail.com

About

Brass Pawn

Features
Read full description

Brass Pawn is a chess trainer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Practise tactics and endgames, compare your moves with an engine and play real opponents. No ads. FOURTEEN THOUSAND PUZZLES, CHOSEN FOR YOU Tactics picked from what you have been finding hard rather than at random. Rush, for when you want the clock. Fifteen endgame drills against an engine that will not let a draw slip past you. A hundred and sixteen positional exercises. And Guess the Elo: sixteen hundred real games, and you say how strong the players were. It is more fun than it sounds, and harder. NINE HUNDRED GAMES WORTH WATCHING Every one decisive, between two named players, and either finished inside twenty-five moves or famous enough to have a name of its own. Look up a player, watch the game unfold, and when you reach a position you would have played differently, take it over and carry on from there yourself. How can I learn from my mistakes? In a practice game, make your own move first. Compare its evaluation with the suggested alternative, then follow the engine's continuation on the board. Turn on move values to compare legal choices before moving. This is engine feedback, not a conversational tutor or a promise of a higher rating. Can I practise chess offline? Yes. Stockfish and Reckless run on your device for computer games and position analysis. Online matches, rankings and the Today feed need an internet connection. How can I play with friends? Use Game Center for online matches with 3, 5, 10, 15 or 30-minute clocks. Add players as in-game friends to invite them again. Friendly invitations and rematches are unrated; online games have no engine assistance. What is free? Computer games, online play and the game library are free. Training includes five daily attempts per activity. Pro removes the training limits through a subscription or one-time unlock. There are no ads. YOUR PRIVACY No ads, no advertising tracking, and no access to your phone's address book. Your training stays on your device. Online features use a player identifier, availability and in-game friendships. 'Contacts' means friends you add in Brass Pawn. You can hide your online status in Settings and remove in-game friends. Payment is charged to your Apple Account on confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged within the 24 hours before it renews. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://brasspawn.com/privacy

Screenshots

ChessImprover4 screens
Brass Pawn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChessImprover at none against Brass Pawn's 2. On price, update cadence, 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. Brass Pawn sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ChessImprover asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChessImprover ships an update fortnightly, Brass Pawn every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ChessImprover versus Brass Pawn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChessImproverBrass Pawn
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size118 MB200 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMARTIN BERNT ANDERSSONArte Soft Ltd

In-app purchases

None

ChessImprover

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Brass Pawn

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
One-time1
  • One-off unlock$39.99

Questions

Is ChessImprover free?
ChessImprover is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brass Pawn free?
Brass Pawn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ChessImprover or Brass Pawn have ads?
Neither ChessImprover nor Brass Pawn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChessImprover or Brass Pawn?
ChessImprover ships an update fortnightly, and Brass Pawn every 9 days. Most recently, ChessImprover was updated on October 24, 2026 and Brass Pawn on October 16, 2026.

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