Comparison

PlunderChess vs Circles & Dots

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

Head to head
About

PlunderChess

This chess variant adds an exciting twist: captured pieces grant temporary, enhanced movement abilities to the capturing piece. Strategize to acquire and use these "plundered powers" for a more dynamic and fun chess experience.

Highlights
  • Captured pieces grant temporary enhanced movement
  • Colored vests indicate plundered powers
  • Practice and analysis boards
  • Live play and text chat
  • Competitive AI with 5 skill levels
  • Mate in 1 and 2 puzzle packs
  • Cross-platform online play
Features
Read full description

Introducing PlunderChess®… If Chess is fun (and it is!) then PlunderChess® is EXPONENTIALLY FUN! Imagine playing chess like you always do, however, this time, upon making a capture, the chess piece doing the kill is then allowed to "take on" added moving capabilities directly from its spoils, and use those newly acquired capabilities on one future move!... henceforth.... you have PLUNDERCHESS®! You will quickly be hooked! Features of PlunderChess® App: 1) Colored Vests overlaying 2D chess pieces to indicate plundered powers. 2) Practice board to build strategies and enhance your tactics. 3) Analysis board to test active game piece maneuvers. 4) Supports both Live play. 5) Text chat with your opponent. 6) Competitive AI opponent with 5 skill levels. 7) Mate in 1 and Mate in 2 puzzle packs 8) Cross platform online play support YouTube: Check out our YouTube video clips…. enter: plunderchess in the search field. Read what others are saying about the PlunderChess® board game: 1) Cathi, Editor for NY State Empire Chess Magazine…Product Review… “This is an amazing and exciting new game which takes off from the regular game of chess using a regular chess board. We discovered it at the famous USATE Tournament, brought it home, and it has become a favorite game at home, and among chess fans at our local chess club….” 2) Becca, 12 year old student writes… “My family and i love plunderchess!! it is the best ever!! we're always playing it! I used 2 dread it when my family played chess bc 2 me it was boring. but PLUNDERchess, now thats another story. its easy to understand and FUN!” Here are a few of the BASIC Rules of PlunderChess® Play: 1) "Plundering" occurs when a chess piece captures an opposing piece and "plunders" or "acquires" additional moving capabilities directly from the piece it just captured, hence, strengthening the capturing piece! This plundering is illustrated by the overlaying of a colored banner (called "vests") on the piece that made the capture. Image illustrations provided. 2) The added moving capability provided by a plundered vest may be used one time only on any future move. (I.e., the plundered vest may be used on it's very next move or carried around on the board and used later in the game, but only once.) 3) Plundering is optional and may be declined by the player making the capture. YES, sometimes you do NOT want to plunder a vest from the spoils of the kill!! The case for NOT plundering would be if you suspect your opponent will immediately capture you back (making a "trade") and acquire the vest you just plundered! (See rule #9) 4) When plundering is elected, a "colored vest banner" that corresponds to the moving capabilities being plundered, gets overlaid upon the chess piece that made the kill. This vest banner signifies to both players that the piece wearing it now has extra moving capabilities for one future move.

About

Circles & Dots

A fast-paced arcade game where players tap to change direction, collect coins, and avoid obstacles. It offers simple controls and two engaging modes for quick fun.

Highlights
  • Tap to change direction
  • Capture coins
  • Avoid obstacles
  • Two game modes
  • Fast-paced gameplay
Features
Read full description

Pip is nine years old and a very long way from home. Her survival pod came loose during a debris storm, and now she is drifting through the Drift: a belt of wreckage orbiting a dead star. Her family is out there, listening for her beacon. One orbit at a time, she is going back. Her pod has a single thruster, so you have a single control. Tap. That is the whole game, and it is harder than it sounds. TWO WAYS TO FLY Retrograde flips your thrust so you double back along the same orbit. Transfer hops you between the inner and outer shells. Same story, different verb, and each keeps its own record. WHAT IS OUT THERE Asteroids tumble past and cannot be destroyed. Sweeper drones will clear you away like any other debris, unless you are carrying a Phase Shield. Bolts come fast and thin, and there is no answering them. Between them float shards of salvage. Collect them quickly and your collector goes into resonance, multiplying everything you pick up. Pass close to a hazard without touching it and you steal momentum from it. The best runs are the greedy ones. FIT OUT THE POD Spend salvage on an extra hull plate, a wider tractor beam, better luck with powers, a higher multiplier. Change your beacon frequency and fly in a colour of your choosing. The whole game is free, and every run is playable without spending anything. Simple to learn, difficult to master, over in a minute. Bring her home.

Screenshots

PlunderChess4 screens
Circles & Dots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Circles & Dots at Free against PlunderChess's $0.99. Circles & Dots also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5). PlunderChess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 8 months). On 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

Circles & Dots is free to download; PlunderChess costs $0.99 up front. PlunderChess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Circles & Dots sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Circles & Dots holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlunderChess has 50 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlunderChess ships an update every 6 weeks, Circles & Dots every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PlunderChess versus Circles & Dots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlunderChessCircles & Dots
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (50 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings50 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWhite Horse Games, LLCErmano Nicolas Joseph

Customer experience

PlunderChess

All ratings50 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.7%

Circles & Dots

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PlunderChess

One-time3
  • PlunderChess Chess Opponent$0.99
  • PlunderChess Puzzle Pack A$0.99
  • Plunder Chess Puzzle Pack B$0.99
4 purchases

Circles & Dots

One-time4
  • Pouch of Shards$0.99
  • Hull Refit$2.99
  • Crate of Shards$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Cargo Hold of Shards$9.99

Questions

Is PlunderChess free?
PlunderChess costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Circles & Dots free?
Circles & Dots is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PlunderChess or Circles & Dots?
Circles & Dots is rated higher. PlunderChess averages 4.5 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Circles & Dots averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do PlunderChess or Circles & Dots have ads?
Circles & Dots shows ads; PlunderChess does not.
Which is updated more often, PlunderChess or Circles & Dots?
PlunderChess ships an update every 6 weeks, and Circles & Dots every 8 months. Most recently, PlunderChess was updated on September 23, 2026 and Circles & Dots on August 29, 2026.

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