The Queen's Gambit, a fresh Netflix series that has already become a cult classic, has revived interest in chess around the world. Even if you are an absolute beginner, the collected applications will teach you the basics of the game and the main chess openings. If you know 64 squares like the back of your hand, then this is a great opportunity to improve your level and discover chess from a new side.
Whether you're a fan of The Queen's Gambit or just enjoy playing chess on your phone, this article is sure to be of interest to you! I've compiled a list of the best chess apps for both beginners and hardcore chess players (like me).
AI Factory Limited
When it comes to chess on Android, the app from AI Factory Limited is considered the “default choice”. It is very simple and easy to use, it has a lot of interesting features that you just don’t notice at first. It is one of the few apps that is always installed on my smartphone.
Chess uses the Treebeard chess engine, which many players say is “humane.” There are 12 difficulty levels, from Beginner to Expert, and 2 game modes: Casual and Pro. There’s also a built-in tutorial, a peek into your AI opponent’s thought process, and the app itself keeps statistics, a list of achievements and leaders, and an Elo rating. This is far from a complete list, and my recommendation is simple: if you don’t want to sign up anywhere, this is the best choice for playing chess on Android.
Available for Android.
Chess.com
While Chess by AI Factory Limited is our favorite in today's rankings, the Chess.com platform is a very close second. With almost as many features, Chess.com has a lot to offer in terms of play, socializing, and more.
You can play against the computer or with live players, you can participate in tournaments, chat during the game and add users as friends. On average, 11 million games are played on this platform per day all over the world. Therefore, you can find an opponent at any time of the day or night in just a couple of seconds.
If you want to hone your skills, the app offers you a variety of chess puzzles, as well as educational videos and lessons for beginners. Listing all the features of Chess.com, alas, would take too much space, so if the previous app from AI Factory Limited did not please you for some reason, I recommend trying Chess.com. I promise, you will not go wrong - I have been playing on this site since 2012. During this time, I have played a little over 8,000 games, and my highest rating was 1579.
To sum it up, the Chess.com app is a Swiss Army knife of sorts. It's jam-packed with useful features and will suit players of all skill levels.
Available for Android / iPhone / Online.
Lichess
Lichess is a free, open-source app for Android and iOS phones. Although it doesn’t have a wealth of features, Lichess boasts simplicity and extremely useful functionality.
The app is designed for chess lovers who just want to play and improve, nothing more. The app's audience is 150,000 players, so there will definitely be no problems finding an opponent.
There are several special game modes, here you can participate in tournaments, solve chess puzzles, conduct analysis of each batch for errors, play offline and much more. Plus - no built-in advertising: just you, chess and your opponent. A definite five!
Available for Android / iPhone / Online.
Chess Tactics Pro
Chess Tactics Pro specializes in tactical puzzles to improve your strategic skills. The idea itself is simple, but it has many interesting moments to improve your chess skills.
There are puzzles of various difficulty levels, and for an additional fee you can buy additional sets of problems. If you are an advanced player, the difficulty of the puzzles to solve can reach 2000 Elo points. There are daily tasks, a history of tasks, analytics and several styles of board design. The application is free, there are in-app purchases for additional sets of tasks.
Chess Tactics Pro provides a kaleidoscope of chess problems that will improve your skills. There are several difficulty levels, daily chess problems and detailed analytics, so you can always analyze your mistakes so as not to repeat them in the future.
Available for Android / iPhone.
Chess Openings Trainer
We'll finish our list today with self-study apps that are aimed at serious players who want to identify all the weak points in their game. They study your moves and in response apply the most effective strategies, thereby revealing all your weaknesses. You won't find any puzzles here, only chess.
The first of these apps is Chess Openings Trainer. If you want to work on your openings and late game, this is the app for you. Since this is a self-study app, your main goal will be to learn and remember, because repetition is the mother of learning, especially in chess.
Chess Openings Trainer uses the Stockfish engine, with it you will learn and remember all the main chess strategies. With it, you will master one of the most popular chess openings in just a few minutes.
Available only for Android.
CT-ART
CT-ART is rightfully considered one of the best apps for chess training. It has as many as 2,200 basic and 1,800 additional exercises on 50 different topics - the wealth of material is simply amazing.
Each exercise has its own purpose, so it never feels monotonous. You'll constantly learn new tactics as you go, and the app will track your Elo rating, giving you an idea of your actual skill level. The free version only offers a few trial lessons, so I recommend upgrading to the premium version.
The king of chess training apps, CT-ART is a definite choice for anyone serious about improving their chess skills. The amount of material is truly staggering, so I recommend moving through the app gradually.