Comparison

Marshal Chess vs Read19

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

Head to head
About

Marshal Chess

This app offers a focused Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) experience with multiple game modes including adaptive AI coaching, traditional AI matches, and unique puzzle challenges. It features local multiplayer options and tools for studying real-world games, all within a clean, ad-free interface.

Highlights
  • Adaptive AI coaching
  • AI matches with difficulty levels
  • Jieqi (Hidden Chess) mode
  • Endgame Puzzles
  • Nearby Duel (local multiplayer)
  • Game Study with board recognition
Features
Read full description

Marshal Chess is a clean, focused Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) app for iPhone and iPad. No social noise — open it and play. Six modes: · Adaptive Coaching — the AI silently reads your level and stays just one step ahead, easing off when you are far ahead and pushing harder when you are behind. On your turn it lifts the piece for the strongest move to show you. No difficulty picker, no tests, no prompts · AI Match — five difficulty levels (Beginner to Master), save and resume any game, take back moves · Jieqi (Hidden Chess) — every piece except the generals starts face-down in a shuffled position and is revealed after its first move; revealed advisors and elephants may leave the palace and cross the river. The computer never peeks at hidden pieces · Endgame Puzzles — 90 classical compositions from the Ming-dynasty collection "Shi Qing Ya Qu", each with its source and original number; all 1,416 moves of the reference lines verified for legality and checkmate. Search by name or number, filter to unfinished · Nearby Duel — play someone next to you over a direct device-to-device connection. No data usage, no server, no shared network needed; just turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices. Game clocks with a per-move countdown, take-backs, Jieqi and automatic reconnection; a player who leaves can return to the same game from the lobby, and an optional password keeps strangers out · Game Study — when you face a real opponent over a physical board, enter both sides' moves and get the strongest move on your turn. Start from the opening position or use the board editor. Live camera and photo recognition run on-device, with a review step to correct or complete the position; optional cloud enhancement is available Design notes: · Calm, modern Chinese look: warm paper background, clerical-script glyphs and nine board themes to choose from (Warm Ivory, Kaya Wood, Pale Celadon, Ebony and more), switchable even mid-game; a bundled Kai typeface works offline and dark mode is supported · Just the board: no title bar or status line during play — Menu at the top left, More at the bottom right, in Liquid Glass · Background music, a full sound set and Mandarin move announcements, adjustable in-game or silenced to let your own music play · Move and capture animations play in sequence for a clear rhythm · No ads, no in-app purchases, no account required. Recognition runs on-device by default. If you choose cloud enhancement and consent, the selected photo is sent through Cloudflare to Anthropic; see our privacy policy Xiangqi is interesting enough on its own. We just built a good board for it.

About

Read19

Features
Read full description

Read19 brings cloud-powered KataGo analysis to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Play directly against AI and watch win rate and score lead update move by move. Import SGF records to explore candidate moves, principal variations, ownership, and whole-game trends. Read19 flags inaccuracies, mistakes, and blunders by win-rate and point loss, so you can focus on the moves that changed the game. Your games and reviews stay on device. Sign in to sync privately with iCloud across devices and export standard SGF files. Read19 prefers secure WSS and falls back to HTTPS on restricted networks. Advanced users can connect to a compatible backend with custom HTTPS/WSS endpoints and an optional Bearer token. Free includes 100,000 visits each calendar month with the Fast model. Plus unlocks the stronger Balanced model, more concurrency, and 2,000,000 monthly visits. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Marshal Chess3 screens
Read194 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marshal Chess at none against Read19's 4. 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. Read19 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Marshal Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, Read19 every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Marshal Chess versus Read19: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarshal ChessRead19
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSANOINV INC思程 陈

In-app purchases

None

Marshal Chess

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Read19

Subscriptions1
  • KataGo Review Plus$6.991 Month
One-time3
  • 300K Visits$1.99
  • 1M Visits$3.99
  • 3M Visits$9.99

Questions

Is Marshal Chess free?
Marshal Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Read19 free?
Read19 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Marshal Chess or Read19 have ads?
Neither Marshal Chess nor Read19 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marshal Chess or Read19?
Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, and Read19 every 2 days. Most recently, Marshal Chess was updated on October 8, 2026 and Read19 on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons