Comparison

Marshal Chess vs 中国象棋·闲局

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

中国象棋·闲局

Features
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中国象棋·闲局,让你随时开启一局中国象棋。 【离线人机】与本地电脑棋手对弈,选择难度,练习走子与攻防。 【好友同屏】两人使用同一台设备,轮流落子。 【局域网对战】两台设备连接同一 Wi-Fi,一人开设棋室,另一人发现并加入;支持手动输入地址。联机需要允许本地网络访问。 【残局研习】46 个电脑防守练习局面,分为入门、进阶与挑战,通关进度保存在本机。 【对局助手】合法落点提示、悔棋、重新开始和棋盘外观设置。联机悔棋及重开需要对方同意。 无需注册。人机、同屏与残局模式不需要互联网连接。局域网模式会向同网玩家发送棋名、棋室和对局信息;棋名不是账号。 采用休闲象棋规则:将死或无棋可走判负,相同局面三次自动和棋;不含完整竞赛长将、长捉裁定。清除应用数据或卸载可能导致本机通关记录丢失。

Screenshots

Marshal Chess3 screens
中国象棋·闲局4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: 中国象棋·闲局 at 15.0 against Marshal Chess's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, 中国象棋·闲局 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Marshal Chess versus 中国象棋·闲局: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarshal Chess中国象棋·闲局
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSANOINV INCChinda Lorcharoen

In-app purchases

None

Marshal Chess

No in-app purchases

None

中国象棋·闲局

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marshal Chess free?
Marshal Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is 中国象棋·闲局 free?
中国象棋·闲局 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Marshal Chess or 中国象棋·闲局 have ads?
Neither Marshal Chess nor 中国象棋·闲局 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Marshal Chess or 中国象棋·闲局?
Marshal Chess ships an update every 3 days, and 中国象棋·闲局 every 4 days. Most recently, Marshal Chess was updated on October 24, 2026 and 中国象棋·闲局 on October 16, 2026.

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