Kerkia

Background

The iPhone is the best-selling smartphone nowadays, and its related application store has a fantastic success. So much actually that there are literally thousands of applications available, a large number being free to use. Among those there are many very strong chess applications and we present here our favourites one.

Recommendations

Learn Chess: an app to learn chess; fairly well done for beginner to mid-level players.

iChess: our second favourite chess game; a strong computer engine and a nicely done interface; not too strong and makes it very easy to take moves back :-). recommended for intermediate players.

Glaurung, recently renamed into Stockfish, the name of its engine: one of the best free chess app; very strong computer program and great user interface; recommended for the best players. It notably allows you to set your rating and to view opening statistics.

Chess.com: the app from chess.com; a great tool to play online chess, play against the computer or get lessons. So great that it could supersede our other preferred chess apps. you need an account on chess.com to play online of course, but this is free for basic services.

iChess Pack: similar to chess.com but connects to the famous FICS server; where accounts are free as well. We’ve not used it much but it also supports playing against the computer and has a nice puzzles mode; very promising.

Shredder Lite: an amazing chess game. Its only real limitation is major for most however: it won’t play above a 1500 elo in the free version.

Chess at ICC: the app of the famous Internet Chess Club (ICC); it allows you to play online of course, and also includes a computer opponent. The app is very well done and, although there is a slight lack of timing possibilities, the engine is very strong, allows you to define an elo rating, and the app very nice to use, so nice that we now prefer it.