Comparison

Marshal Chess vs Dragon River

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
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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); the on-device engine's evaluation is a neural network distilled from a top engine, so you get a strong opponent even offline, and online Hard / Master are computed by a top engine on our server; 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

Dragon River

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Cross the river. Guard the general. Claim the Jade Mandate. Dragon River turns traditional Xiangqi into a cinematic 3D battlefield while preserving the rules and tactical clarity of Chinese chess. • Play offline against three AI difficulty levels • Face a friend in local two-player mode • Choose tactical, cinematic, orbit, or top-down cameras • Use legal-move guidance, move history, undo, and saved matches • Choose from 15 languages • Tune graphics quality for your device No account and no cross-app tracking. The free version shows limited non-personalized ads; rewarded videos during a match are optional and start only when you tap them. One optional purchase removes every ad permanently. Your settings and saved matches stay on your device.

Screenshots

Marshal Chess3 screens
Dragon River3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Marshal Chess at none against Dragon River's 1. Marshal Chess also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days). Dragon River's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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. Dragon River sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Marshal Chess asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, Dragon River every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Marshal Chess versus Dragon River: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarshal ChessDragon River
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB37 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSANOINV INCHaosheng Li

In-app purchases

None

Marshal Chess

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dragon River

One-time1
  • Permanent Ad Removal$4.99

Questions

Is Marshal Chess free?
Marshal Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dragon River free?
Dragon River is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Marshal Chess or Dragon River have ads?
Dragon River shows ads; Marshal Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Marshal Chess or Dragon River?
Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, and Dragon River every 10 days. Most recently, Marshal Chess was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dragon River on November 6, 2026.

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