Comparison

Airplane Chess vs Gambit/chess

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

Head to head
About

Airplane Chess

Features
Read full description

Airplane Chess is chess for the places a network doesn't reach — a plane, a bus, a tunnel, a car on a long road. Nothing it does needs a server. There are no accounts to make, no ads, no tracking, and no connection to drop halfway through a game. THREE WAYS TO PLAY • Against the computer, at three levels. It thinks at a human pace rather than answering the instant you move. • Pass and play, one phone between two people, the board turning to face whoever is to move. • Two phones side by side, with no network of any kind — over Bluetooth, and between iPhones over Apple's peer-to-peer Wi-Fi as well. Paired players get a lobby: play a game, or just talk. THE WHOLE GAME, PROPERLY Castling, en passant and promotion. Stalemate, insufficient material, threefold repetition and the fifty-move rule — every way a game of chess can end, including the ones most apps quietly skip. Take a move back, resign, or offer a draw. A game you walk away from is still there when you come back, even if the phone restarted in between. Finished games are kept. Step through any of them a move at a time, or send one out as PGN — the format lichess and chess.com both read. IN TEN LANGUAGES Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish, following your phone unless you tell it otherwise. There is a short guide to the app and to the rules of chess in every one of them. NOTHING TO SET UP No sign-in and no account. A one-minute tour of the board the first time you open it, offered rather than forced, and skippable in one tap. Playing a phone nearby asks for Bluetooth the first time and nothing else — never your location.

About

Gambit/chess

A moody, noir-styled chess game designed for quick play without account creation. Easily invite friends with a code and enjoy a streamlined experience with helpful beginner features. Practice against AI or play with others, with unlimited games available via subscription.

Highlights
  • Account-free play
  • Private invite codes
  • AI practice modes
  • Legal move indicators
  • Full chess rules support
  • Auto-save and resume games
  • Subscription for unlimited play
Features
Read full description

a moody, noir-styled chess game built for two people who just want to play — not create accounts, remember passwords, or manage a clock. Start a game and send a short private invite code through Messages or any share sheet. Your friend taps it and you're both at the board in seconds. No email, no password, no friction. Want a handle instead? Claim a personal @handle with a live free-or-taken check as you type — still no sign-in form, ever. Beginners are genuinely welcome here. Tap any piece to see every legal move, captures marked differently, and the king glows the moment it's in check. Illegal moves are refused gently, never with a lecture. No friend online right now? Run a quick match against anyone, or practice against the app at one of three strengths that genuinely differ. Gentle wanders and leaves pieces hanging. Steady punishes obvious mistakes but misses deeper tricks. Sharp plays the strongest move it can find — and hides the legal-move dots entirely, so you read the board yourself. There are no hints anywhere in Gambit. Every game is won on your own judgment. Every rule is here: castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate, repetition, and insufficient material. Follow the action in a live move list with classic notation and step-back review. Offer a draw, resign, or start a rematch with colours flipped. Left mid-game? Gambit remembers exactly where you were, even after losing signal, so you can pick the position back up whenever you're ready. Your first three games are free — no card and no sign-up. Spend them however you like, practice or against a friend. After that, Gambit Club unlocks unlimited games for $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. A board you have already started always stays playable. Gambit Club is an auto-renewing subscription that continues until you cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ No clocks. No puzzles. No ratings. No spectators. Just an atmospheric, confident board and the people you choose to sit down at it with. Download Gambit and send your first invite code tonight.

Screenshots

Airplane Chess4 screens
Gambit/chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Airplane Chess at 15.1 against Gambit/chess's 18.0. On price, ads, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Airplane Chess versus Gambit/chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAirplane ChessGambit/chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB14 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPaulo Henrique Carvalho Bingheather sherry

In-app purchases

None

Airplane Chess

No in-app purchases

None

Gambit/chess

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Airplane Chess free?
Airplane Chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gambit/chess free?
Gambit/chess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Airplane Chess or Gambit/chess have ads?
Neither Airplane Chess nor Gambit/chess shows ads.

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