Comparison

Stupid Hard Chess 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

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
Read full description

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

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

Stupid Hard Chess4 screens
Chess Variants Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chess Variants Studio at none against Stupid Hard Chess's shown. On price, update cadence, 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

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 and Chess Variants Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Stupid Hard Chess versus Chess Variants Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStupid Hard ChessChess Variants Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 9 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYazid MasriMichael Adams

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
1 purchases

Chess Variants Studio

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plays and Views$3.99

Questions

Is Stupid Hard Chess free?
Stupid Hard Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Variants Studio free?
Chess Variants Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Stupid Hard Chess or Chess Variants Studio have ads?
Stupid Hard Chess shows ads; Chess Variants Studio does not.
Which is updated more often, Stupid Hard Chess or Chess Variants Studio?
Stupid Hard Chess ships an update every 9 days, and Chess Variants Studio every 9 days. Most recently, Stupid Hard Chess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chess Variants Studio on October 31, 2026.

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