Chess

About

"Chess - Play and Learn" is a strategy game that offers splendid gameplay and ingenious visuals, allowing you to play chess online with friends and learn with lessons, puzzles, and analysis. However, it can be quite buggy and may require some grinding, leading to a highly emotional experience. The game provides a fun and engaging way to improve your chess skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

graphics40 positive mentions

monetization183 negative mentions

Great app for learning chess with a variety of lessons, puzzles, and analysis features.
User-friendly interface that allows easy matchmaking with players of similar skill levels.
No intrusive ads, making for a smooth gaming experience.

Frequent connectivity issues leading to auto-resignation and loss of games.
Many features are locked behind a paywall, making it difficult for free users to fully enjoy the app.
Recent updates have introduced bugs and a less intuitive user experience.

monetization
245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
4%
75%
The monetization aspect of the app has received mixed reviews, with many users appreciating the lack of intrusive ads and the availability of a free version with substantial features. However, some users express frustration over aggressive monetization strategies, including frequent pop-up ads, deceptive advertising content, and limitations on features that require payment. Overall, while some users enjoy the ad-free experience, others feel that the push for premium subscriptions and in-app purchases detracts from the overall enjoyment of the app.
- “No ads, no interruptions - absolutely glorious!”
- “Ultimately the best part of this app is that it has the biggest userbase and so matches are found in seconds (and no ads!!).”
- “Microtransactions are limited and well-implemented to assist learning, while the game itself can be played endlessly and without an account, and bots can be used to train if you run out of daily puzzles and lessons.”
- “The app is the best chess game no doubt but every small detail except playing needs money or in-app purchase; not everyone wants to purchase.”
- “I downloaded it to try out the analysis tools, which are great, but the app is infested with ads and paywalls that just make it frustrating to use.”
- “You keep pushing the subscription for puzzles that barely teach anything; your daily puzzles have zero explanation as to what they are trying to teach and your 'lessons' tab gives vague information and throws out terms with zero explanation.”
stability
221 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
95%
The stability of the app has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and connectivity issues that disrupt gameplay. Many players experience frustrating freezes during matches, leading to lost games and time penalties, particularly on mobile devices. While some users note occasional smooth performance, the overall consensus indicates that the app is plagued by significant bugs that detract from the gaming experience.
- “It is almost entirely bug free in my experience.”
- “Great app, no glitches, lots of teaching information.”
- “All around great app, runs great on my Pixel 3, can't say enough good things.”
- “Beside the old issues and technical glitches, the app now launches pop-up ads in my browser automatically without me clicking or tapping anything, and forces the ad to stay on the screen, interfering with power saving and eventually draining the battery.”
- “Lately it's been super buggy; I keep losing games to connection issues or game crashes.”
- “The mobile experience is a buggy mess at best, and downright unplayable at worst.”
graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
52%
4%
The graphics of the chess app receive mixed reviews, with many users praising the high-quality visuals, smooth performance, and customization options. However, some players express dissatisfaction with the interface being overly busy or outdated, and there are reports of lag and graphical glitches, particularly after updates. Overall, while the app is appreciated for its aesthetics and functionality, there is a consensus that improvements are needed to enhance the visual experience further.
- “Excellent chess experience, with by far and away the most appealing visuals and responsiveness.”
- “This app is out of this world, really high level graphics just for chess, a lot of cool features to help you get better at the game.”
- “Great graphics with a unique and enjoyable experience and a fast and powerful server.”
- “Interface and background are far too busy; the aesthetics are awkward.”
- “The new graphics are slow with a pointless delay, and the dots where you can move are messed up in the newer version.”
- “The graphic design in the new form is not refined or subtle.”
gameplay
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
46%
12%
Gameplay in this chess app is generally praised for its smooth mechanics, skill-based matchmaking, and helpful tutorials, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced players. However, users have reported issues such as bugs, lag, and unintuitive controls that can detract from the experience, particularly in offline modes. Overall, while the gameplay offers a solid foundation for learning and competition, some technical flaws and a paywall for premium features have drawn criticism.
- “I love it, it's simple, no ads, takes 5 seconds to match with opponents and there's lessons to learn on how you can improve your gameplay.”
- “Very fun gameplay, great connection for multiplayer games and the puzzles are a great help at learning some new strategies.”
- “Exceptional gameplay!”
- “Classic chess with plenty of options to learn, but the mechanics can mess up your games, big time!”
- “Gameplay for less than 3 minutes while the opponent stalls for 9:50 only to move in the last 10 seconds, in hopes you'll give up and leave, is a common experience.”
- “The mechanics absolutely suck; they need to delete it and try again.”
optimization
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
60%
11%
Overall, user reviews indicate mixed experiences with the app's optimization. While some users report smooth performance and satisfaction on various devices, others highlight significant issues such as overheating, lag during game analysis, and poor connectivity, suggesting that the app requires further optimization and stability improvements to enhance user experience.
- “Very impressed with the performance of this app on my 10-inch budget Android tablet.”
- “Performance is key to enjoyment.”
- “The app runs smoothly, you can play against computers and real people, there are lessons and many puzzles to help you learn.”
- “Good game but network issues highly affect online performance.”
- “Really disappointed with its performance.”
- “Badly optimized; it's supposed to be just a 2D chess game and my phone, for some reason, was overheating so bad.”
humor
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as "astonishingly funny" and "hilarious," with users enjoying the comedic elements that arise during gameplay, such as amusing interactions with opponents and quirky bugs. However, some players find the humor can be overshadowed by technical issues, like connectivity problems and notification spam, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game's humor is a notable aspect that adds to the enjoyment, despite some frustrations.
- “Astonishingly funny.”
- “Funny thing is, it does it when I win.”
- “My friends and I were laughing about the analysis.”
emotional
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a mix of frustration and emotional investment in the game, highlighting significant issues with controls and functionality that lead to unintended moves and losses. While some find joy in winning and view losses as learning experiences, many report that glitches and poor responsiveness have caused stress and disappointment, impacting their overall enjoyment and emotional connection to the game. Despite these challenges, a few users still find moments of satisfaction and warmth, particularly when overcoming adversity or achieving personal milestones.
- “Winning satisfies me, and I've stopped getting too emotional over losses, treating them more as learning opportunities.”
- “The fact I got rating points back after being defeated by a cheater made me feel warm and fuzzy.”
- “It gave me so much stress and it really impacted me mentally and emotionally.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The music aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some users appreciating the calm soundtrack while others find it irritating due to sound issues, such as the app muting background music and inconsistent volume levels. Many players express a desire for improved music options, including a better background theme and the ability to disable intrusive audio features. Overall, while the gameplay is praised, the music experience needs significant enhancements to meet player expectations.
- “A great game with calm music.”
- “Good graphics, phenomenal gameplay, extraordinary soundtrack.”
- “Best thing is that there are video tutorials and the actual game is pretty much perfect except a background theme song; hope you'll add it soon ( ꈍᴗꈍ).”
- “Exceptionally irritating when you select an option to play, e.g., a lesson, and the app immediately reduces your volume to zero so you can't hear any music or sound from other apps while the chess app talks to you.”
- “It causes sound issues when listening to music even with the app closed and notifications off.”
- “When I play music in the background, it goes silent, and when I leave the app quickly between games, it gets very loud again... very annoying, please allow me to turn this off.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the app, noting that while it can lead to improvement through lessons and puzzles, the process is often tedious and hindered by intrusive pop-ups and non-interactive content. Many find the custom game setup cumbersome and are considering switching to other apps that focus more on enjoyable grinding experiences.
- “Also playing custom games with friends is a bit of a tedious process.”
- “Was the best online chess app by a country mile, however, the developers appear to be looking to revenue now and have moved into the tedious world of pop-ups, gimmicks, and pushiness.”
- “The lessons are dozens of tedious videos, not interactive.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of depth and engaging characters, with users expressing frustration over technical issues that detract from the overall experience. There is a call for improved storytelling and a more compelling soundtrack to enhance the narrative.
- “But right now I'm dealing with just one problem, so here's my story.”
- “It needs better characters, better storytelling, and a better soundtrack.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users feel that the game has the potential for increased excitement and replayability, suggesting that it offers elements that encourage players to return for more experiences.
- “It adds new excitement and replayability, in my opinion.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes makes me want to play again and again.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh, thanks to the dynamic elements in the game.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the app is highly praised for its educational value and the vibrant community of chess enthusiasts from around the globe, fostering a welcoming and engaging environment.
- “A #1 app with great educational value along with a nice social atmosphere of chess enthusiasts from all over the world!”