Chess is a game of perfect information, and there are chess apps with different levels of knowledge. Ideal information means you can win better if you move better than your opponent.
This is why chess is complicated: you have to memorize moves, which is ideal at the start of the game. You can also simply outsmart your opponent, making moves that don’t allow him to be sure.
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The best chess apps
There are many chess apps on the market, but here at Insiderbits, we’ll only detail the top three. Get ready to start your chess adventure, beginning with how to choose the right app.
Lichess • Online Chess
This handy chess app brings everything you need to learn or further develop your game tactics. Insiderbits may have suggestions for you, but let’s look at the highlights of this top choice:
- 150,000 unique users daily and growing rapidly;
- Play bullet, blitz, classical, and correspondence chess;
- Play in arena tournaments, finding, following, and challenging players;
- View your game stats;
- Practice with chess puzzles;
- Endless variants available online and offline: Crazyhouse, Chess 960, King Of The Hill, Three-check, Antichess, Atomic Chess, Horde, Racing Kings;
- Game analysis with local computer evaluation;
- Computer server analysis with move annotations and game summary;
- Browser opening;
- Play against a computer offline;
- Over The Board mode to play offline with a friend;
- Independent chess clock with multiple time settings;
- Forum editor;
- Available in 80 languages;
- Designed for mobile and tablet devices, supporting landscape mode;
- 100% free, ad-free, and open source!
lichens • Free Online Chess
This app, like https://lichess.org, is open-source and free software called GPL v3. It is free, and its developers assure you it will be ad-free now and forever.
It brings an interesting explanation of chess tactics, through which you can learn and apply key strategies. It teaches you how to improve your game with advanced features, where you simply log in and compete.
It can take you from casual to competitive play and tell you how to prepare for chess tournaments. Created out of love for chess, this app is open-source and free for everyone.
Lichess was developed with the same basic features as Chess.com: a vast community, various games, tutorials, and puzzles. The site has a simple design, but it can take you wherever you want to go.
Create an account and analyze games.
This is one of the chess apps where you can create your account, and if you don’t mind, you can follow your games and find other players of your level. Start a new game, try the puzzles, watch a chess champion, and play three-minute games.
While that’s going on, you can listen to your favorite music and chat in the comments section. With Lichess, you can analyze your games after you finish them with the help of the open-source chess engine Stockfish.
This was considered the best chess AI guide on the planet until Google’s AlphaZero displaced it. However, Stockfish quickly analyzes positions and evaluates which side is more substantial and by how much.
Lichess added a nifty feature where you can see how many top players made the moves you and your opponent made. You can also scroll through your view:
- The results of those E games;
- Browse previous master games;
- Play a graph after each game;
- Show you who was winning, according to Stockfish, on each move and how much that lead increased or decreased with each move.
4.5/5
Chess – Play & Learn
Play chess online with over 150 million players from around the world: ajedrez, xadrez, satranç, شطرنج, scacchi, schach, șah, šachy, şahmat. No matter the language or the name, it’s the best strategy game in the world.
Enjoy unlimited free 3D chess games, improving your score with over 500,000 tactical puzzles, interactive lessons and videos, and over 100 powerful computer opponents.
Unleash your inner chess master today! And enjoy:
- Completely free 2-player chess mode;
- Meet new friends and chat while you play;
- Play live games from one minute per game to 30 minutes or more;
- Play correspondence chess online every day for pressure-free games on your schedule;
- Try all these exciting chess variants in the App: Chess960 (Fischer-Random), Puzzle Rush, Puzzle Battle, or Blindfold Chess;
- Enjoy other chess variants, too: Bullet Chess, 3-Check, King of the Hill, Crazyhouse, Doubles (Bughouse), Fog of War, and more.
Chess tactics & chess puzzles
- Enjoy over 500,000 unique chess problems;
- Ranked mode automatically adjusts to your skill level to help you improve;
- Race against the clock to beat your high score in Puzzle Rush;
- Practice puzzles with specific themes in the Learning Mode;
- Mate in 1, Mate in 2, Mate in 3, Perpetual Check, Endgames, Pin, Fork, Skewer, Sacrifice, etc.
Chess lessons
- Hundreds of quality chess lessons and videos were made by masters to teach all chess moves. Practice your skills with chess puzzles;
- Interactive chess training tutorials with tips and advice;
- Learn chess rules and strategies in a step-by-step lesson plan with openings, middlegames, and endgames.
Play chess online against the computer
- Choose the level of the computer opponent you want to play with;
- Analyze your chess games to see where you went wrong and how you can improve;
- See the most formidable opponent you can beat.
Chess community
- Join a community of over 120 million online chess players;
- Over 20 million chess games are played every day;
- Meet players of all levels, from beginners to grandmasters;
- Compete to get your rating on the online chess leaderboards and join the best players;
- Watch the most popular chess superstars with millions of followers. Hikaru, GothamChess, Botez, Magnus, and many more.
But also:
- Play offline chess games against the computer;
- Articles from top chess authors, coaches, and trainers;
- Develop your unbeatable opening repertoire with the opening explorer: Queen’s Gambit, Caro-Kann Defense, Sicilian Defense, etc.;
- Offline chess with your friends;
- Send messages and challenge your friends to play chess for free;
- Choose from over 20 board themes, 2D and 3D chess pieces and backgrounds;
- Get detailed performance statistics on your games, puzzles, and lessons;
- Enjoy the most active community forums on the planet.
If you want to take a few minutes before your next chess game, you can follow some tips from Insiderbits.
Chess – Play and Learn
JLikeits iOS version has the same entertainment features and is an excellent reference for chess applications.
4.8/5
SocialChess • Online Chess
It is a different, elegant, and complete way to play chess against friends or random opponents online. You can also play speed chess with a clock or many correspondence games.
Make moves whenever you get a chance, every day, and remember that “Social Chess is the best way to achieve Checkmate” -CultOfMac.com.
Design Principles
- No ads!
- Beautiful, clean, and intuitive design;
- Features are carefully chosen and implemented;
- Your privacy is respected; they will NOT spam or share user information;
- Game features are based on your feedback.
Game Features
- Statistics – ELO rating, wins, losses, draws;
- Elo charts and stats per opponent;
- Advanced features like conditional moves and pre-moves;
- Receive push notifications when a game is updated;
- Play even when you are offline; moves will be sent later;
- Play up to 5 games at a time or increase the number to 100 with in-app purchase;
- Search for opponents by username, email, or by matching a random opponent;
- Claim victory if the opponent does not make a move in the allowed time;
- Optional recovery move;
- Chess960;
- Analysis board to work out your strategy.
Social Features
- User profile including photo, comments, etc.;
- Map view of your opponent’s location;
- Private chat and group chat;
- Explore your opponents’ games and their opponents’ games;
- Elo ratings.
SocialChess – Online Chess
This is another of the chess apps that was also produced for iOS operating systems and meets the same operating conditions. Its sister app explains each of its functions and benefits to its users.
4.4/5
Improving your game: advanced features in chess apps
Everyone, including newbies and grandmasters, has a very special place here. Games are set up to be played at any speed, with a time limit on each move, with up to five days of peace of mind.
You can play quietly, ignoring the site’s offerings, but you have plenty of options if you’re curious. You can play against many AI-powered chess bots, each with strengths and playing styles.
Those looking for a less competitive game can learn through puzzles and tutorials or watch live streams. But if this is too common for you, you can find a mentor to be your teacher.
The only barrier to exploring the site is a subscription-based payment wall, which you’ll see in some places. More serious chess players can wander around the opening search engine.
About ratings and subscriptions
You’ll be assigned a rating to indicate your skill level when you start the game. It will fluctuate quite a bit during your first few games, eventually settling into a narrower range.
When this happens, you’ll usually be matched with players below your skill level. This app works in any web browser, but there are also mobile apps for iOS and Android.
You’ll find subscriptions at three levels: $5, $7, and $14 per month, or 50% of these amounts if you pay for a year in advance. Each level removes ads, unlocks bots, and lets you use their analysis tool.
An AI here evaluates each move in your games and suggests alternatives. The medium level has unlimited access to the site’s chess problems, but you can only solve 25 daily puzzles at the low level.
We hope you have enjoyed this article about chess apps and that it has been of great use to you. We invite you to complement it with other interesting chess articles.
