Mini Chess on Watch

Mini Chess for Apple Watch is extremely fun and an incredible way to pass time. The only thing that was not great (and the reason for only a 4 star) is how difficult it is. If you have no prior experience with chess this is not the place to start. It took me almost 30 tries to win Novice mode. It is possible, so don’t listen to reviews that say otherwise. You can also find ways to beat it off of YouTube, google, etc.

At first it was a great, challenging way to spend time. However, I soon noticed it would glitch and i wouldn’t be able to make specific moves that would otherwise tip the game in my advantage. For example, my bishop wouldn’t move in a certain diagonal direction when it should, or my pawn wouldn’t move forward into an empty space. It’s incredibly annoying. It also frequently freezes and I end up having to delete the app and redownload for it to work again.

One of two things happen when I play this game. 1) I lose. Even the Novice setting is difficult with so little room to move around and only one of each back row piece. 2) It locks up. I’ve been stuck many times with every move I try being illegal. I’ll keep playing and update my review if it gets any better, but overall it’s not as much fun as I was led to believe.

This doesn’t work on my watch. I have a 5.0 iWatch. Can I get my money back?

what’s interesting is that it’s a completely different game when you cut it down to this size. Not easier. Not harder. Just as much fun, which surprised me.