Comparison

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) vs Really Bad Chess

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

Head to head
About

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)

Sharpen your chess skills with a vast library of puzzles for all levels. Practice daily, offline, or track your progress with adaptive challenges. Analyze your moves with a built-in engine and customize your experience with various themes.

Highlights
  • Daily puzzles
  • Offline puzzle packs
  • Progress mode with Elo rating
  • Puzzle analysis engine
  • Bookmark puzzles
  • Multiple board themes
Features
Read full description

Improve your chess tactics with this large collection of chess puzzles for all levels! This tactic trainer lets you practice in 3 different modes : - Solve daily puzzles - Solve offline puzzle packs - Use the "Progress" mode to get random problems of your level and know your Elo rating All puzzles are of a high quality and are guaranteed to have a unique solution. The difficulty ranges from beginner to advanced (2000+ Elo). Other features : - A free powerful engine to analyze the puzzles - Level history - Bookmark puzzles - Several board themes - Optimized for both phones and tablets - A simple and intuitive interface, with no useless stuff, and no weird problems

About

Really Bad Chess

This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.

Highlights
  • Randomized chess piece sets
  • AI opponent challenges
  • Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
  • Freeplay practice mode
  • Local multiplayer (with IAP)
  • Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
Features
Read full description

Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach

Screenshots

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)4 screens
Really Bad Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) at 90% against Really Bad Chess's 46%. Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8). Really Bad Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.7K and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)'s written reviews are positive against 46% of Really Bad Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) ships an update every 2 months, Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) versus Really Bad Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)Really Bad Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better3.8 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better46.3% of reviews
Number of ratings3.7K — better1.6K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmmanuel MathisZach Gage

Customer experience

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)

All ratings3,685 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews331 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral4.5%
Negative5.4%

Really Bad Chess

All ratings1,633 ratings
Positive66.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative24.4%
Written reviews611 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral16.4%
Negative37.3%

User reviews

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)

From 3.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Offline functionality
  • 💡 Wide variety of puzzles
  • 🎯 Helpful for improving tactics
  • 🕰️ Daily puzzles of varying difficulty

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Some puzzles have flawed or ambiguous solutions
  • 🤔 Difficulty levels not always accurate
  • 📊 Lack of explanation for best moves
  • 🔀 Inability to accept alternative winning solutions

Really Bad Chess

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🤔 Unique and innovative concept
  • 👍 Challenging and engaging
  • ⭐ Great way to learn chess

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🕰️ Slow AI response times
  • 💰 Paywalls for essential features
  • 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads
  • 🔁 Repetitive AI moves leading to stalemates

Bugs and requests

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Incorrect move validation in some cases

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to see captured pieces
  • Provide more context and analysis for puzzles
  • Improve difficulty categorization of puzzles
  • Allow for user feedback on puzzle issues

Really Bad Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Incorrect checkmate detection

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
  • Implement online/multiplayer mode
  • Provide more difficulty settings
  • Allow custom piece arrangements
  • Sync progress across devices

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)

One-time11
  • Easy mates$1.99
  • Intermediate mates$1.99
  • Hard mates$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Easy tactics$1.99
  • Intermediate tactics$1.99
  • Hard tactics$1.99
  • Mates in 2, 3 and 4 moves$1.99
  • Intermediate Tactics - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Hard Tactics - Vol. 2$1.99
  • Easy Tactics - Vol. 2$1.99
  • All-Access Pass$9.99
2 purchases

Really Bad Chess

One-time2
  • 100 Undos$0.99
  • Full Game Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) free?
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Really Bad Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess?
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) is rated higher. Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Really Bad Chess averages 3.8 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess have ads?
Both Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) and Really Bad Chess show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess?
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) ships an update every 2 months, and Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. Most recently, Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) was updated on September 22, 2026 and Really Bad Chess on September 23, 2026.

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