Best Forward Chess Apps & Games

250+ iOS apps & games curated and reviewed

3.9 avg rating
20 free apps & games
Updated September 2026

Out of 250+ forward chess apps and games on iOS, 20 are free and the rest sit in the paid tier. This page sorts them so you can compare both sides before you commit.

Compare top Forward Chess Apps & Games (September 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Learn with Forward ChessLearn with Forward ChessFree4.8★ (334)NoYesSep 2026
2Chessable: Study Chess SmarterChessable: Study Chess SmarterFree4.8★ (5.9K)NoYesSep 2026
3Chess ∙Chess ∙Free4.5★ (205K)YesNoSep 2026
43D Chess Game3D Chess GameFree4.6★ (3.5K)YesNoSep 2026
5Chess Online - Board GameChess Online - Board GameFreeYesYesMay 2026
6Chess - choose betterChess - choose betterFreeNoJul 2026
7Chess UnlimitedChess UnlimitedFreeNoNoAug 2026
8Chess Tempo: Chess tacticsChess Tempo: Chess tacticsFree4.0★ (112)NoYesSep 2026

Top Picks for Forward Chess

Learn with Forward Chess#1

Learn with Forward Chess by Forward Chess, LLC

Chess Books & Tactics Training
Editor's Choice
📚 Books
4.8😊(334 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
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This app is an interactive reader for chess books, allowing users to play through chess lines directly within the book. It offers a vast in-app store with over 100 chess eBooks and a growing collection of opening theory periodicals via subscription.

What We Love

  • 👍 Great app for chess-book lovers
  • 🚀 Easy to follow or analyze moves with the implemented chessboard
  • 👍 Simple and effective interface
  • 👍 Great to use on mobile device
  • 👍 Larger board and text than Chessable
  • 👍 Better value books
  • 👍 Excellent customer support
  • 👍 Convenient way to read chess books
  • 👍 Allows engine analysis of positions and ability to check variations
  • 👍 Ability to switch move controls to preferred side
  • 👍 Increases speed of going through books
  • 👍 Provides a clean interactive way to read books with moves linked to a board

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Books are a little expensive for digital purchases
  • 🐛 App crashes or freezes occasionally
  • 🐛 Loses user's place when reopening the app
  • 🐛 Buggy when navigating between libraries and books
  • 🐛 Analysis engine sometimes doesn't recognize castling possibilities
  • 🐛 Inefficient software with unintuitive UI
  • 🐛 Notifications are annoying and repeatedly enabled
  • 🐛 Weak chess engine performance compared to other apps
Chessable: Study Chess Smarter#2

Chessable: Study Chess Smarter by Chess.com

Openings, Tactics & Endgames!
Strong Contender
📚 Education
4.8😊(5.9K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
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Master chess openings, tactics, and endgames with a science-backed system. Learn from top players and retain moves through spaced repetition. Track your progress and join a community of players improving their game.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Excellent learning tool
  • 📚 Comprehensive chess courses
  • 🧠 Effective spaced repetition
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🎥 Helpful video instruction

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited search and navigation
  • 📵 Lack of offline access
  • 🔒 Issues with paid subscription
  • 🖥️ Inferior to web version
4.5😞(205K ratings)
FreeAds
#90in Games
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Experience a visually appealing and engaging chess game on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Play against friends or a customizable AI opponent with features like undo and automatic saving. Enjoy a free, ad-supported experience.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Fun to play everyday
  • 👍 Good free game
  • 👍 Nice little game
  • 👍 Very good practice
  • 👍 Addictive
  • 👍 Great game for anyone
  • 👍 Good app
  • 👍 Awesome
  • 👍 Really nice
  • 👍 Winner
  • 👍 Great for long flights

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 AD crazy
  • 🐛 Major glitches make the game impossible
  • 🐛 Force draw
  • 🐛 Issues, needs fixing but has potential
  • 🐛 Disappearing Pieces
  • 🐛 If you want to learn chess go somewhere else
  • 🐛 Fraudulent Advertisement Included! Beware!
  • 🐛 Ads
  • 🐛 Pop-up ads, app freezes, phone screen freezes, and more
  • 🐛 The game cheats
  • 🐛 Allows the AI to cheat
  • 🐛 Unbelievably buggy
  • 🐛 Cheating
  • 🐛 Cheats
  • 🐛 Glitches
  • 🐛 Terrible
  • 🐛 Annoying as hell
  • 🐛 Intrusive ads
  • 🐛 Breaks Rules Too Often
  • 🐛 Biggest disappointment ever
  • 🐛 Unbelievably buggy
  • 🐛 Cheating
  • 🐛 Disappointing

More Forward Chess apps to explore

FAQ about Forward Chess

What are the best forward chess apps & games for iPhone?
Learn with Forward Chess tops our forward chess apps & games ranking as of September 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 334 App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top forward chess apps & games we rank are free to download, including Learn with Forward Chess and Chessable: Study Chess Smarter.
Learn with Forward Chess has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of September 2026.
We track 250+ forward chess apps & games on the iOS App Store as of September 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Forward Chess is an interactive reader for chess books. It allows you to play through chess lines directly within the book, effectively combining a chess board and a chess book in one application. You can also explore your own moves and analyze positions.
You can purchase over 100 chess eBooks directly through the app's In-App Store. The collection is continuously updated with new titles being added weekly, offering a wide variety of chess literature.

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