Item: Chess Genius
Rating: 82
Author: Dinsun

Our Expert Score

82/100

ChessGenius is a legendary program with a pedigree that few others can claim. Its creator's engines have won ten World Championships, and that raw power is evident here. Despite its tiny file size (under 2MB), it offers a playing strength that can challenge even the most seasoned masters. It’s fast, efficient, and doesn’t require an internet connection to think deeply.

The UI is decidedly old-school, which might be a turn-off for players used to the flashy animations of Chess.com, but for a serious student of the game, it’s refreshing. The app excels at analysis, showing you exactly what it's thinking—including move evaluations and planned lines. The PGN support is excellent, allowing you to easily import and export games via email or iTunes sharing. While it lacks some modern social features, as a pure chess engine and training partner, it remains one of the best technical achievements on mobile.

Dinsun reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

294631172

$5.99 4+★3.9 10 reviews

Author : Lang Software Limited

Pubish Date : Sun Nov 02 2008

Last Update Date : Fri Aug 05 2016

Support Languages : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Genres :

Version 4.1.00Fri Aug 05 2016

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Bigger, deeper opening book. Bigger by a factor of 2.5
New adjustable playing levels with Fischer clock
ChessGenius, award winning chess program. Superb playing strength. The author's chess programs have won ten World Championships. Packed with features for beginners and experts:
* Simple, elegant user interface
* Powerful, compact and fast
* Hundreds of playing levels including easy, blitz and tournament levels. Network connection not required
* Displays thinking. Who is winning, by how much and the moves that ChessGenius is planning. Also Chess clocks, Captured pieces and Opening name. e.g. B12 Caro-Kann
* Save/load games in PGN format. Send games by email. Set-up position
* Easy import / export of PGN database files with iTunes file sharing
* Hint, Show legal moves and Tutor. ChessGenius can warn if a blunder/weak move is played and give the option of take back
* Unlimited take back and step forward
* Play against ChessGenius. Also 2 player, self play and analysis mode
* Optional display of captured pieces and count of positions searched
* Game is restored after exit and restart
* All functions work in Portrait and Landscape
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
ChessGenius, award winning chess program. Superb playing strength. The author's chess programs have won ten World Championships. Packed with features for beginners and experts:
* Simple, elegant user interface
* Powerful, compact and fast
* Hundreds of playing levels including easy, blitz and tournament levels. Network connection not required
* Displays thinking. Who is winning, by how much and the moves that ChessGenius is planning. Also Chess clocks, Captured pieces and Opening name. e.g. B12 Caro-Kann
* Save/load games in PGN format. Send games by email. Set-up position
* Easy import / export of PGN database files with iTunes file sharing
* Hint, Show legal moves and Tutor. ChessGenius can warn if a blunder/weak move is played and give the option of take back
* Unlimited take back and step forward
* Play against ChessGenius. Also 2 player, self play and analysis mode
* Optional display of captured pieces and count of positions searched
* Game is restored after exit and restart
* All functions work in Portrait and Landscape

Ratings & Reviews

3.9 out of 5 with 10 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 4+

ChessGenius is a highly acclaimed chess program known for its superb playing strength and efficiency. Created by a world-renowned author, it features hundreds of difficulty levels, making it suitable for everyone from novices to grandmasters. The app displays its thinking process, offers move hints, and includes full PGN support for importing and exporting game databases.