PlunderChess vs Chess Widget
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Chess Widget
This app brings chess puzzles and games directly to your Home Screen. Solve daily puzzles, play against AI, analyze historical games, or even play multiplayer with friends nearby, all without an internet connection.
- Home screen chess puzzles
- Play against AI
- Analyze historical games
- Board editor mode
- Offline multiplayer
- Daily new puzzles
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Chess is always close by when you feel like playing, learning something new, or taking a break with a good puzzle. Add Chess Widget to the Home Screen of your iPhone or iPad. Solve puzzles, learn openings, play with friends, and review your games — all at your own pace. MAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR CHESS More than 11,000 puzzles help you practice calculation and spot beautiful combinations. Start with a position in the widget, then open the app to find the solution. Need a hand? Take a hint, then try the puzzle again on your own. UNDERSTAND THE OPENINGS YOU PLAY The Learning section offers 15 opening courses, from the Italian Game and Ruy Lopez to the Sicilian Defense and King's Gambit. Read the explanations, try moves on the board, and discover the ideas behind them. Step-by-step practice, move reviews, and key-position challenges help the lessons stick. Your progress is saved, so you can pick up where you left off whenever you like. PLAY YOUR WAY • Against the computer — choose your side and difficulty, try out ideas, and use hints while you practice. • Online through Lichess — find opponents, play rated or casual games, and choose your time control. • With friends — send challenges, share invitation links, and arrange a rematch. • Side by side — connect two devices and enjoy local multiplayer without an internet connection. Online mode also includes chat, your Lichess profile, ratings, and recent games. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN GAMES Coach mode helps you understand where a game turned and what you could have done better. Open a completed Lichess game, see how your moves were assessed, and find inaccuracies, mistakes, and missed opportunities. Return to a key moment and try to find the best move yourself. Take a hint if you need one, explore a continuation, or keep playing from that position. Evaluation and time-spent charts help you see the whole game. DISCOVER THE MASTERS' GAMES Explore more than 100,000 games by outstanding chess players, from historic classics to games by today's grandmasters. Choose a favorite player, find games by year and opening, and go through them move by move or turn on automatic playback. CREATE YOUR OWN POSITIONS Use the board editor to explore an idea or a position from a book. Arrange the pieces, import and copy positions in FEN format, then play from the position against the computer. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Choose a board color theme and turn sounds on or off. Switch to Zen Mode for a quiet game with fewer distractions. Keep a puzzle or a position from your selected mode close at hand in the widget. A puzzle over coffee, a new opening in the evening, or a game with a friend — find your own reason to come back to chess. Questions or feedback? Write to me at oleg.v.soloviev@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chess Widget at Free against PlunderChess's $0.99. Chess Widget also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). PlunderChess's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 67%) and ratings volume (50 vs 14). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Chess Widget is free to download; PlunderChess costs $0.99 up front. PlunderChess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Chess Widget sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PlunderChess against 4.5 for Chess Widget. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of PlunderChess's written reviews are positive against 67% of Chess Widget's.
PlunderChess ships an update every 6 weeks, Chess Widget every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlunderChess | Chess Widget |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (50 ratings) | 4.5 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 50 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 169 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | White Horse Games, LLC | Oleg Soloviev |
Customer experience
PlunderChess
Chess Widget
In-app purchases
PlunderChess
- PlunderChess Chess Opponent$0.99
- PlunderChess Puzzle Pack A$0.99
- Plunder Chess Puzzle Pack B$0.99
Chess Widget
- 1 coffee$4.99
- 2 coffees$9.99
- 5 coffees$24.99
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- 10 coffees$49.99
Questions
Is PlunderChess free?
Is Chess Widget free?
Which has better reviews, PlunderChess or Chess Widget?
Do PlunderChess or Chess Widget have ads?
Which is updated more often, PlunderChess or Chess Widget?
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