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.
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.
- Daily puzzles
- Offline puzzle packs
- Progress mode with Elo rating
- Puzzle analysis engine
- Bookmark puzzles
- Multiple board themes
Read full descriptionHide 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
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.
- Randomized chess piece sets
- AI opponent challenges
- Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
- Freeplay practice mode
- Local multiplayer (with IAP)
- Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) | Really Bad Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better | 3.8 (1.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better | 46.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.7K — better | 1.6K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Emmanuel Mathis | Zach Gage |
Customer experience
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)
Really Bad Chess
User reviews
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)
From 3.7K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles)
- Easy mates$1.99
- Intermediate mates$1.99
- Hard mates$1.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- 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
Really Bad Chess
- 100 Undos$0.99
- Full Game Unlock$3.99
Questions
Is Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) free?
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Which has better reviews, Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess?
Do Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chess Tactics Pro (Puzzles) or Really Bad Chess?
Other comparisons















