ZugZwang - Chess Screen Time
Solve a puzzle to unlock apps
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Your apps stay blocked. A solved chess puzzle opens one of them for five minutes.
ZugZwang turns the reflex of opening an app into a move you have to think about. Choose the apps, categories and websites that eat your day. They are blocked at once and stay blocked. When you open one, the block screen offers one way through: solve a chess puzzle.
HOW IT WORKS
• Pick what to block with Apple's Screen Time picker: apps, whole categories, websites.
• Opening a blocked app shows the block screen. Tap "Solve chess puzzle".
• Solve it and collect five minutes of that app, or of your whole list if you prefer. When the time is up, the block comes back on its own.
• The first wrong move fails the puzzle. The solution then plays out on the board, and a failed puzzle never unlocks anything.
A RATING THAT IS YOURS
• Three puzzles during setup find your starting rating, from beginner to strong club player.
• Every puzzle after that moves it, like an Elo puzzle rating. Puzzles are served around your level, so they stay hard enough to make you stop and think.
• 20,000 rated puzzles: mates, tactics, endgames, promotions.
• Endless puzzles on the Puzzles tab, with filters for kind and length.
STRICT MODE
With strict mode on, removing an app from the list or turning strict mode off needs a harder puzzle or a 24-hour wait. Adding to the list is always allowed.
YOUR PHONE STAYS YOURS
• You can always turn blocking off.
• Your rating and progress are saved to your account (Sign in with Apple or Google), so they move with you to a new phone.
• Which apps you block stays on your device. ZugZwang never learns their names.
• No ads.
SUBSCRIPTION
ZugZwang Pro unlocks the whole app. Choose a monthly or a yearly subscription. The yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and if you allow notifications you get a reminder two days before it ends. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for the renewal within the 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your App Store account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.
Terms of Use: https://use-less.app/zugzwang/terms
Privacy Policy: https://use-less.app/zugzwang/privacy
Puzzles come from the Lichess open puzzle database (CC0).
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Stop halfway through setup and pick it up right where you left off.
Your apps stay open until your plan starts, so an unfinished setup never locks your phone.
You can turn on reminders right after you pick your piece.
Offers now show how long they last.
Small bug fixes and improvements.
The developer, DaDaMa Ug (haftungsbeschränkt), 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
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- DaDaMa UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)
- Size
- 40.6 MB
- Category
- Productivity
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English and German
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Yearly $29.99
- Yearly $14.99
- Yearly $19.99
- Monthly $7.99
- Copyright
- © Dadama UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)