Zugzwanged
Opening & tactics trainer
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Zugzwanged is focused chess training for self-directed players: build your opening repertoire, see exactly where your real games leave it, and train both openings and tactics with purpose.
REPERTOIRE BUILDER
Build it in one tap, import a Lichess Study, or add lines move by move. As you build, every opponent reply shows how often you actually meet it at your rating and time control, drawn from millions of real games, and the explorer marks its suggested answer, based on statistics, your own games, and engine evaluation. Set one coverage goal, such as answering everything you meet at least once in 100 games: that single number decides which missing answers count as gaps, how complete each book is, and which lines you drill, so they always agree.
A REPERTOIRE BUILT FOR YOU, IN ONE TAP
No repertoire yet? Zugzwanged builds complete White and Black books for you, automatically. Each book opens with the first move you actually play, and every reply is chosen on evidence: engine evaluation, master practice, and results at your own rating level, favouring moves that keep the book's pawn structures so the repertoire hangs together as one plan. It covers the replies you actually meet, builds in the background even if you close the app, and lands as a normal book you can train immediately or edit freely.
SPACED REPETITION
Train your own lines on a schedule that gives common replies more attention and rare sidelines less. A daily ration keeps sessions finishable, and you can always drill a whole book before a tournament.
LEARN FROM YOUR GAMES
Connect Chess.com or Lichess. When a game leaves your book, open that exact position on the analysis board and decide whether your repertoire needs another move.
A COMPLETE TACTICS TRAINER
Solve rated puzzles, build custom sets by theme and difficulty, repeat failures, or run Woodpecker-style cycles. Zugzwanged also mines tactical mistakes from your own games and turns them into personal puzzles.
NO COURSES, NO GIMMICKS
Zugzwanged does not sell opening courses or pick a repertoire for you. No ads, no tracking, no leagues or artificial rewards. Free while in beta.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Redesigned training card
- One clear count per task, and a paused session picks up where you left off
- Retry missed moves later the same day with the same setup, now part of Train
- Train more goes straight to training when there is only one option
Better opening training
- Difficult moves show the move that led there and the line so far
- Failed moves count toward today's limit, and retries after 30 minutes are graded
Fixes
- Evaluation bar no longer flips sign when stepping through a play-out
- The engine pauses briefly before replying in play-out, even when it finds a mate
- Hint and copy buttons use the same icons as the rest of the app
The developer, MIKKEL JUUL ERUP, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Contact Info
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- User Content
- Identifiers
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- MIKKEL JUUL ERUP
- Size
- 31 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Mikkel Juul Erup
