If you're interested in a chess game for the iPhone or iPod Touch, look no further than the App Store. I just searched for the keyword "chess" and found more than 10 entries, most of which were actually chess games.
With so many chess games to choose from, why would a developer want to release another into such a crowded market? Well, obviously they think they can do chess better than the next guy.
99Games must be pretty confident in its product, as it's going one step further. On Wednesday, it announced the availability of two new chess games: Chess Lite and Chess Pro.
Chess Lite is aimed at beginners and players (like me) whose skills are a bit rusty. It has a 2D theme and, according to 99Games, contains medium-level complexity.
Chess Pro is for the Bobby Fischers and Freshes of the world--players who know the rules and want a challenge. It has three levels of difficulty and three play modes, including Regular, Suicide, and Losers. According to 99Games, this version has the option of choosing a 3D theme for the coins and boards, but, from the screenshots, it looks more like "2.5" dimensions and not truly 3D.
Both games make use of a professional strength Chess engine with playing strength over 2,750 ELO.
Chess Lite is priced at $0.99 and Chess Pro at $3.99. They both can be downloaded from the App Store.
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