Hiarcs Chess does not need any introduction. It is a legendary chess engine that has won world championships multiple times. With Hiarcs for iPhone, you get a killer chess engine that is more than capable of bringing you back down to earth and teaching you a thing or two about what it takes to win in chess.

Hiarcs has something for everyone. It is strong enough to give masters a challenge in this game. At the same time, its strength can be adjusted to make it more playable for beginners. The coaching features are useful too. Multiple playing modes are offered. Users can change the strength of the engine, the look/feel of their board, and clock settings. Hiarcs’ very intuitive user interface is a huge plus to us.

Hiarcs works well with PGN files. You can import and export games to/from it easily. The latest version handles large PGN files a whole lot faster (something other chess programs often struggle with). 8 piece and 9 color sets are included too. Would you like to set up your own positions? No problem. Permanent brain is offered for those of you who want to get the most out of your experience with this app. Players can customize Hiarcs’ behavior from the “Engine Room.” I like the fact that you can analyze games and play against another player in this application.

Hiarcs is one of the strongest chess engines we have tested. It has something for everyone, which is nice to see. We were able to test it against a few other chess engines. Though the process was not perfect, Hiarcs more than held its own (we had to use two iPhones to pit Hiarcs against other top engines). We would love to be able to play blindfold or Fischer random chess on it. Having the ability to rotate the screen would be nice too. Still, this is one powerful chess engine to improve your playing skills with.

Rating: 9.4/10

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Chessbase Online gives you access to millions of chess games online. The database is updated on a weekly basis, providing you with the opportunity to keep up with the latest developments in this game. The app allows you to search through games by player or opening position. Statistics for moves are very important too.

Chessbase Online has a lot of potential and can be a life saver for anyone interested in taking their chess game to the next level. We did find some bugs in this app though. The search functionality did break on us. The app crashes from time to time as well.

Based on previous products that Chessbase has introduced to the market, we expect the company to to fix the current bugs fast. Chessbase Online could become an extraordinary research tool with its bugs taken care of.

Rating: 8.5/10

It is never too late to start learning chess. A decent guide can go a long way towards helping you get started on the right footing. Learn Chess is a free guide that covers chess rules, terminology, and some of the strategies chess players use to get the upper hand against their opponents.

There is more to chess than knowing how to move pieces. Without proper understanding of game’s fundamental concepts (e.g. controlling the center), it is hard to become a formidable player. This app has over 100 pages of material and 90+ diagrams to teach beginners how to get started.

Learn Chess has an attractive layout. It has diagrams and instructions to make the learning process as easy as possible for students. The app is user friendly enough for the young kids to get started with this game.

Learn Chess won’t make you a chess master. But it is the perfect tool for chess beginners. At the time of this writing, it is free too.

Rating: 90/100

Playing chess is one of the best ways to keep yourself entertained with your iPhone and exercise the muscle that matters the most. Studies have shown time and time again that chess makes you sharper and helps you improve your decision making over the long run. Thanks to tChess Pro, chess players with any skill level can take their game to the next level.

After having played over 50 games with tChess Pro, I can tell you that the engine is very strong. At the same time, you can adjust its playing level to make your games more interesting. You can also put tChess in analysis mode and start going through lines and variations to get a better understanding of what moves to play in certain situations.

You get 12 levels of play with tChess Pro. And if you are a complete newbie, you can always try “learn chess.” You can also go through openings to your heart’s desire with the opening library available in this app.

tChess Pro has a lot of features not available in other iPhone chess programs. But my favorite by far is the blindfold feature. If you find chess challenging and fun, wait till you have played a blindfold game. That should set your brain on fire!

tChess Pro has everything you need to take your chess game to the next level. I would have preferred to have the ability to drag and drop pieces. And it would’ve been nice to have the option to play in both landscape and portrait modes. But I am being too nit-picky here.

Verdict: A. tChess Pro comes with the perfect combination a strong chess engine, a comprehensive opening library, a decent chess tutorial, and lots of additional features that help you take your game to the next level. Tom Kerrigan has truly knocked it out of the ballpark.

ChessGenius is an award winning chess program that has been around for a while. I still remember the day I bought my first ChessGenius (v.6) about 9 years ago. Genius has won world championships and has been used by many top players for training and research purposes. Now, you can play ChessGenius right on your iPhone.

ChessGenius comes with 33 playing levels. You can play easy or blitz levels, but be careful what you get yourself into. In the blitz mode, you’ll get no mercy from the program. Like most top chess programs, Genius gives you an assessment on how you are doing during your games. If you are done by a couple of pawns or more, you are probably going to lose regardless of what you do. But it’s good to know how you are doing. Just don’t let it distract you during your games.

I love the fact that you can save your games in PGN format. The best way to improve in chess is by going over your games and analyzing them. With ChessGenius, you can save your games and analyze them later. You can also use the tutor and coach to help you avoid blunders and weak moves.

Overall, ChessGenius is an excellent chess application for the iPhone. You are not only getting a world champion on your mobile phone, but also a set of features that help you get your game to the next level. Chess is still one of the most entertaining games to play on an iPhone, especially if you have Chess Genius.

Shredder, the 12 times chess engine world champion, has finally come to the iPhone. The folks behind Shredder Chess have been at this for years. Their computer engine has dominated humans and other engines in the past. It’s not one of those programs that you can beat by tricking it easily. This program can checkmate you before you can even realize what’s happened. But don’t worry. You can adjust its playing strength to make sure you are not getting crushed by it time and time again. It even helps you avoid mistakes as well.

Here is what you get with Shredder Chess:

• ELO: you can adjust the strength of the engine to make things more fun.
• Puzzles: you get 1000 puzzles that help you practice and master the art of solving chess problems.
• Analysis: Shredder can analyze your games as well. Great way to find your mistakes.
• Styles: you can change Shredder’s style from defensive to aggressive. But make sure you can take it.
• Opening Book: if you think you can take Shredder out of its book easily, think again.

You can also email your games and even set up positions right on your iPhone. Overall, Shredder is one of the best chess programs ever made for the iPhone. And looking back at Shredder’s brand, you know you are going to get a sophisticated chess program that helps you move your game to the next level.

I’ve got to say I really enjoyed playing with Shredder Chess. It’s a very powerful program, and it’s fun too. And you learn something new everyday. I highly recommend Shredder to all chess enthusiast.

Get your copy here.

Fritz chess has been one of the best engines in the world for a for years now. I got introduced to the Fritz family in the 90s. It feels almost like yesterday when I picked up Fritz 4.01 to take my chess game to the next level. Fast forward a few years, and we finally have Fritz Chess on the iPhone. Fritz is no ordinary chess game. It’s a super engine that can help you analyze games, play rated games, and take your chess game to the next level.

What I like about Fritz chess is all the game modes that are available on it. The Blitz mode is useful if you want to play quick games. The long games are closer to what you see in a classical chess game. You can also turn the clock off and go without a limit. I obviously don’t recommend that unless you have trouble managing your clock. Fritz also have many levels to help players from all levels to have fun without getting beat to a pole by it. Fritz can be ruthless if you choose the highest rating level. So if you are a chess newbie, I strongly encourage you to adjust the playing level to have more fun with Fritz.

Fritz chess can also help you learn better chess and even analyze your games. The “Review Game” option allows you to analyze all your games and try new moves at any point during these games. Fritz can also show you move ideas on the board to help you understand your moves better.

Fritz Chess is a wonderful chess program for iPhone. It has something for everybody. It may cost $9.99, but you are getting a world champion right on your phone. And it’s a lot of fun playing with friends using the multi-player level. If you have a budget for only one chess game, this is the one to go with.