Historical Chess gathers twelve chess variants from fifteen centuries into one offline app: Classic Chess, Chess960, Chaturanga, Makruk, Maharajah & Sepoys, Xiangqi (Chinese chess), Shogi, Courier, Tamerlane Chess, Hnefatafl, Grant Acedrex and Zatrikion. Every variant has authentic rules, its own board and pieces, and five AI opponents drawn from its history. Add 12,000 chess puzzles and you have a lifetime of games in your pocket.
CLASSIC CHESS
Classic Chess is the modern game, with castling, en passant and promotion. Play Classic Chess against Napoleon, Morphy or Staunton at five difficulty levels.
CHESS960
Chess960, or Fischer Random, shuffles the back rank into one of 960 starting positions, so memorised openings stop working. Every Chess960 game is a fresh start, and Chess960 even has its own rivals led by Bobby Fischer.
CHATURANGA
Chaturanga is the 6th-century Indian ancestor of all chess. In Chaturanga the elephant leaps two squares and the counsellor steps one. Play Chaturanga against Sissa, Chanakya and Chandragupta.
MAKRUK
Makruk is Thai chess, still played on the streets of Bangkok. Makruk pawns start on the third rank and endgames follow the counting rule. Face King Naresuan and Taksin the Great in Makruk.
MAHARAJAH & SEPOYS
Maharajah & Sepoys sets one piece against an entire army. The Maharajah moves as queen and knight together, and the Sepoys must trap him. Maharajah & Sepoys is short, sharp and asymmetric.
XIANGQI – CHINESE CHESS
Xiangqi is Chinese chess: a river splits the board, generals stay in the palace and cannons jump to capture. Play Xiangqi against Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and Han Xin, or play Chinese chess with a friend on one phone.
SHOGI – JAPANESE CHESS
Shogi is Japanese chess, where captured pieces change sides and drop back onto the board. Shogi promotion zones and drop rules are enforced. Challenge Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu at Shogi.
COURIER CHESS
Courier is medieval Europe's great 12x8 chess, played for six hundred years. Courier adds three new pieces to the familiar army: a long-range runner, the sage and the jester. Learn Courier from Maximilian I.
TAMERLANE CHESS
Tamerlane Chess is the grand Persian game of the 14th century: a 10x11 board, two citadels and eleven kinds of pieces. Tamerlane Chess was the conqueror's own favourite. Beat Tamerlane at Tamerlane Chess.
HNEFATAFL – VIKING CHESS
Hnefatafl is the Norse king's table. In Hnefatafl the king runs for a corner while the attackers close in. Play Hnefatafl against Ragnar Lothbrok and Harald Hardrada.
GRANT ACEDREX
Grant Acedrex is the great chess of Alfonso X of Castile, played on 12x12 with griffins, lions, giraffes and the unicorn. Grant Acedrex is huge and wild. Meet Alfonso the Wise across the Grant Acedrex board.
ZATRIKION – BYZANTINE ROUND CHESS
Zatrikion is Byzantine chess on a round board of four rings. In Zatrikion pieces circle endlessly with no edges to hide behind. Play Zatrikion against Justinian and Belisarius.
CHESS PUZZLES
Solve 12,000 chess puzzles, from mate in one to rated tactics up to 2400: forks, pins, sacrifices and endgames. New puzzles arrive every day, your streak grows as you solve, and chess puzzles earn their own achievement tiers. Chess puzzles are the fastest way to get sharper.
MORE
• 60 AI opponents from history, five levels each, powered by Fairy-Stockfish
• Pass-and-play for two on one device, from Chinese chess to Shogi
• Board and piece sets, light and dark themes, 16 languages
• Fully offline — no internet needed
Play 12 historical chess variants against 60 themed AI opponents — offline.