Comparison

Magic Chess vs Chess

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

Head to head
About

Magic Chess

Experience chess with a magical twist. Every piece has unique spells, adding layers of strategy, resource management, and timing to classic gameplay. Master dozens of abilities and customize your army.

Highlights
  • Unique piece spells and abilities
  • Strategic spellbook with buffs and debuffs
  • Multiple AI difficulty levels
  • Online multiplayer and rating ladder
  • Customizable piece skins
  • Built-in spellbook reference
Features
Read full description

Chess, reimagined. Every piece still moves by the rules you know, but now, every piece has a kit of spells. Magic Chess keeps the depth and discipline of real chess and layers a full spellbook of unique abilities on top, turning every match into a puzzle of timing, resource management, and nerve! FEATURES • A Spellbook Full of Tricks: Learn and master dozens of abilities - buffs, debuffs, board control, resurrection, and more - each with its own cost, cooldown, and counterplay. • Battle-Tested AI: Multiple difficulty tiers to challenge, from a forgiving warm-up to an opponent that punishes every mistake. • Play Online: Challenge friends directly with private match invites, or find an opponent and climb the rating ladder. • Make It Yours: Customize your army in the Dressing Room with unlockable skins for every piece, and earn or purchase in-game currency to expand your collection. • Built-In Spellbook Reference: Never forget what a piece can do; full ability descriptions are always one tap away. Whether you're a lifelong chess player looking for something new, or a strategy fan who wants chess with real teeth, Magic Chess turns the oldest game in the world into something you've never played before. Download free and start casting.

About

Chess

Features
Read full description

Move like a knight. Reveal as a rook. Rethink your next move. Magic Chess brings hidden-piece rules to an 8×8 chessboard, creating a variant where each reveal can reshape your plan. MOVE BY THE SHELL. CONTINUE AS THE REVEALED PIECE. Both kings are visible from the start. Each side's other 15 pieces begin hidden. Before a piece is revealed, it moves according to the piece that normally occupies its starting square. On its first move, it reveals its identity and follows that piece's movement rules from then on. For example, the hidden piece on g1 can move to f3 like a knight, then reveal as a rook. You must consider both the immediate move and how to use the piece you uncover. Each side has its own pool of 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops and 1 queen. Every reveal removes an identity from that side's remaining pool. DECISIONS THAT STAY WITH YOU Revealing a piece adds information to the game. Regular Magic Chess matches do not allow undo, preserving the consequences of learning what a hidden piece is. Protect your king: checkmate remains the objective. LEARN ON THE BOARD Interactive lessons introduce movement, reveals, captures and checks in Magic Chess. Visual hint arrows show a direction to consider while leaving you to make the move yourself. MORE WAYS TO PRACTICE - Face the computer in Magic Chess or standard chess. - Solve standard chess puzzles and look for the winning move. - Use the position editor to set up your own standard chess positions. - Explore the board in a 3D room. - Choose English or Vietnamese for the interface. For players who enjoy familiar chess rules and want to explore decisions with hidden information, Magic Chess offers a different way to think about the next move.

Screenshots

Magic Chess4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess at none against Magic Chess's 4. Chess also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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. Magic Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Magic Chess versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic ChessChess
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB174 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperProject Chaos Global, LLCXuan Tuan

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Magic Chess

One-time4
  • 500 Magic Coins$4.99
  • 1200 Magic Coins$9.99
  • 2500 Magic Coins$19.99
Show 1 more
  • 7000 Magic Coins$49.99
None

Chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Chess free?
Magic Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Magic Chess or Chess have ads?
Both Magic Chess and Chess show ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Chess or Chess?
Magic Chess ships an update every 4 days, and Chess every 4 days. Most recently, Magic Chess was updated on October 9, 2026 and Chess on October 11, 2026.

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