A no-nonsense classical chess app.
- CLEAN UI: Deep Green offers a distraction-free experience in a clean, native user interface – now with the Liquid Glass design on iOS 26.
- CUSTOM PIECE DESIGN: Beautiful chess set designed specifically for Deep Green and rendered at high resolution in both outline and 3D throughout the app.
- MADE FOR IPAD: Dedicated menu bar, multiple windows, and refined trackpad, mouse, and Apple Pencil support. Squares highlight as you hover over the board.
- TIGHT SYSTEM INTEGRATION: System-level sharing, drag and drop, AirDrop, undo/redo, contextual menus, Quick Look previews of chess files, Dark Mode, high contrast support and more.
- OPEN GAME FORMAT: Games can be shared, saved, copied, pasted, imported, exported in the ubiquitous, open source PGN and FEN formats. Deep Green can open chess files straight from the Files app.
- UNIQUE CHESS ENGINE: Enjoyable opponent with adjustable strength, praised for its humane gameplay, developed for Deep Green on the Apple Newton more than 25 years ago.
- TWEAKABLE APPEARANCE: Engage the knights in the game by having them turn towards the center of the board, apply a humane, slightly random placement of the pieces.
- IN YOUR LANGUAGE: Available in English, German, and Danish.
- MODERN ARCHITECTURE: Written in Swift as a fully native app – modern, maintainable, and prepared for the future.
- PRIVATE, AD-FREE: No ads, no tracking, no analytics, no nonsense.
If you like Deep Green, please rate it favorably on the App Store.
The main reason I bought this game was the gorgeous design, and the new design just look like a generic life-less chess app :(The old icon is also 10x nicer than the new one…Is there any chance of making the old green-classic them & app icon be an option? I am currently holding back from updating the app 😬😬Thank you!!
Prone to CRASHES
RPj1956
For years I have enjoyed playing chess using Deep Green but over that time it has become prone to crash. Often it will crash in the midst of a game but it can be restarted and resumes back where it was. But there are time when it crashes in the midst of an intense contest and restarting the application avails nothing; the board will flash back and immediately crash again. Fortunately, I have actually been able to capture the fatal board setups with a very quick screen shot to later continue on a more competent platform. I would consider this a fatal flaw for Deep Green especially considering that the last time this app was updated was at least 7 years ago at the time of this review; obsolete. Ostensibly the developers have become complacent.
Major UI Change READ BEFORE UPDATING
Jcalchi
This chess app is top notch—always has been. No other app is as enjoyable to use. BUT! This new update is a major change to the wooden board and pieces. It is no longer the green felt and classic wood. Look at the new version previews and make sure you’re ok with that before you update. The classic wood board is not an option. I wish it was. Also, the Steampunk engine’s gears no longer make noise. I miss both that and the old wood board.
Latest update ruined this game.
cuervobravo
I used to love and play this chess app every single day. But, the latest update, 2/26, took away the ability to take back or replay moves, which completely takes away the game’s use as a learning tool. You can no longer back up and try different moves and outcomes. Features have been stripped away slowly for years, but this is the last straw for me. I’m now looking for another chess app. Very sad. :(
Deep Green 2.1.1 is ready for iOS 27 and polishes 2.1, the biggest update in years.
- READY FOR iOS 27: Built against the newest SDKs, with a refractive app icon on iOS 27.
- REDO A MOVE: Press and hold the Undo button to redo the move you just took back. And you can now take back the move that ended a game, while it is still open.
- BOARD IMAGES, UPGRADED: Sharing a game now offers Save Image. Images follow the orientation the board is shown with, are named after the game, and carry it with them – players, event, date, searchable keywords, and the complete game – all preserved when saving to Photos.
- STABILITY: All crashes reported from version 2.1 are fixed. Smoother piece dragging on ProMotion displays.
Plus a batch of smaller refinements, and of course all the improvements in version 2.1, listed below.
Deep Green 2.1 embraces iOS 26 and makes the iPad a first-class chess board.
- REFRESHED DESIGN: Liquid Glass and a new app icon on iOS 26, improved chess piece design in the Game List, and a modernized welcome sheet.
- MADE FOR IPAD: Dedicated menu bar, multiple windows, and refined trackpad, mouse, and Apple Pencil support. Squares highlight as you hover, and tints show where a dragged piece may legally land.
- CHESS FILES: Import PGN and FEN files from the Files app, by drag and drop, or via AirDrop – with Quick Look previews and thumbnails showing the actual position.
- BOARD IMAGES: Copying or sharing a game or position now also includes an image of the board.
- SMARTER PLAY: Pick between variations with the Step Forward button, choose the engine's search depth for Suggest Move, and stalemate now correctly ends the game in a draw.
- IN YOUR LANGUAGE: German, UK English, and Danish localizations.
Plus a zoom transition into games, tips introducing features, and a long list of fixes. See the full change log via What's New in the app.
Version 2.1.1
The developer, Cocoa Stuff, 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 Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More