Ply Chess · iPhone & iPad
Play. Learn. Improve.
A quiet chess companion for iPhone and iPad: unlimited games against a strong on-device engine, a fresh puzzle every day, structured lessons, and a move-by-move review after every finished game. No account. No ads. No server.
Placeholder: the App Store link goes live once the listing is approved. TermsPrivacy
01 — Play
Unlimited games, straight from the board.
The Arasan chess engine is compiled into Ply Chess and runs entirely on your device — no server, no matchmaking, no waiting for an opponent. Pick your colour, a time control, and a strength that grows with you, then play. Games against the engine are unlimited for everyone, online or off.
- Unlimited games on the free plan
- Blitz, rapid, or classical time controls
- Two-player mode on one device
- One engine hint per game, more with Pro
02 — Learn
Lessons that build, one course at a time.
Thirteen courses arranged as a path from the rules to club play, in the spirit of a structured steps method. Every course is taught on a real board — highlighted squares, worked examples, questions, and practice moves — not a wall of text. Your place is saved as you go.
- Three levels: Beginner, Improver, Intermediate
- Openings, tactics, strategy, and endgames
- Interactive diagrams and practice steps
- Beginner courses free, all thirteen with Pro
03 — Puzzles
A fresh position every morning.
The Daily Puzzle never counts against your limits, and the library around it is built from hand-written classics plus a curated slice of the open Lichess puzzle database — grouped by theme and rating, so you can drill exactly what you keep missing.
- Daily Puzzle, free for everyone
- Themes: mates, tactics, endgames
- Ratings from 400 to 2200
- Five puzzles a day free, the whole library with Pro
04 — Game Review
Understand the game you just played.
When a game ends, the engine walks through it move by move — labelling every move from brilliant to blunder, plotting the evaluation graph, surfacing the key moments, and letting you retry the mistake on the board. Your rating, win rate, and streak build quietly alongside your history.
- Move-by-move engine review
- Brilliant, best, inaccuracy, mistake, blunder
- Retry your mistakes from the position
- One review a day free, unlimited with Pro
Free vs Pro
Free is generous.
Pro removes the limits.
Playing is free forever — every game against the engine, on both plans. Ply Pro is a monthly or annual subscription that unlocks the limits below.
| Feature | Free | Ply Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Games vs the engine | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Game reviews | 1 per day | Unlimited |
| Puzzles | 5 per day, up to 1400 — plus the Daily Puzzle | The whole library |
| Courses | Beginner tier | All 13 courses |
| Engine hints | 1 per game | Unlimited |
| Game history | 10 most recent finished games | Full history |
| iCloud sync | — | Included |
Get Ply Pro in the app
Apple handles the purchase, the billing, and the cancellation — the App Store shows the current price for your region before you confirm. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
Read first: Terms of UsePrivacy Policy
FAQ
Good questions, short answers.
Does Ply Chess work offline?
Yes. The engine is compiled into the app, and the puzzles, courses, sounds, and boards all ship inside it — so playing, practising, and reviewing need no connection at all. A network is only needed for things Apple provides: App Store downloads and purchases, and optional iCloud sync.
How does iCloud sync work?
Sync is optional and part of Ply Pro. When you are signed in to iCloud on your device, your games, progress, and profile are mirrored into your private iCloud database so they follow you between your own devices — nobody else can read them, including the developer. Without it, everything simply stays on your device, and the app works the same way. Sync pauses if you sign out of iCloud or your Pro subscription ends.
How do I manage or cancel my subscription?
Apple handles Ply Pro purchases end to end. Cancel any time from Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions on your device, from the App Store subscriptions page, or through Settings → Plan → Manage Subscription inside Ply Chess. The subscription stays active until the end of the period you already paid for; deleting the app does not cancel it. Billing, refunds, and renewals are handled by Apple under its terms — see our Terms of Use.
Do I need an account? Where does my data live?
No account, no sign-up, no profile on a server. Your games and progress are stored on your device, with optional private iCloud sync on Ply Pro. You can delete individual games — or everything — from inside the app at any time. Details are in our Privacy Policy.
Play. Learn. Improve.