Notation - Chess Analysis
Play, Analyse & Improve
$0.99 · Designed for iPad
Launch week sale until 28th March.
Notation is a premium chess experience built from scratch for iPad. No ads. No accounts. No subscriptions. Just a beautiful board, a powerful engine, and everything you need to play better chess.
PLAY YOUR WAY
Start a new game against Stockfish at any strength — from a gentle warmup to a punishing grandmaster-level challenge. Play locally against a friend on the same device, or take your games online with turn-based multiplayer via Game Center. Every game is yours to keep, review, and learn from.
DEEP ANALYSIS THAT ACTUALLY HELPS
Every move you play is analysed by Stockfish running entirely on your device. Notation classifies each move — brilliant, great, good, inaccuracy, mistake, or blunder — so you can see exactly where your games were won and lost. Board arrows show the best move the engine found, and principal variation lines reveal the sequences you missed.
AI COMMENTARY THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE
Powered by Apple Intelligence, Notation generates natural-language commentary tailored to your level. Choose a commentary persona — from beginner-friendly Pip to engine-level depth — and get explanations that match how you think about chess. Not just evaluation numbers: actual insight into why a move matters.
LEARN OPENINGS, NOT JUST MOVES
A curated library of openings organised by skill level helps you build a repertoire that grows with you. Browse by ECO code, see win rates, and train against book lines with guided practice. Deviate from the book and Notation shows you where you left theory.
BUILT FOR iPAD
Notation was designed board-first. The board is always visible, never covered by panels or popups. A three-tab panel layout adapts cleanly between portrait and landscape. Contextual tips guide new features without getting in the way. Every animation is smooth, every transition considered.
COMPLETELY OFFLINE
Stockfish runs on-device. Your games are stored locally. Analysis happens without a server. You don't need Wi-Fi on the train, signal at the park, or a login to use any feature. Online multiplayer is optional and uses Game Center — no separate account needed.
AMBIENT SOUNDTRACK
A procedurally generated ambient music layer creates a calm, evolving atmosphere while you think. Inspired by Brian Eno's generative music, it never repeats and never distracts. Turn it on, turn it off, adjust the volume — it's there if you want it.
NO ADS. NO TRACKING. NO TRICKS.
Notation is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription, no ad tier, no in-app currency, and no data collection. Your games and analysis stay on your device.
Notation is made by an independent developer in the UK — not a corporation, not a startup. Just someone who loves chess and thought iPad deserved better than ad-heavy ports of web apps.
Ratings & Reviews
This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Board flipping - when playing as black, board is correctly oriented.
Minor bug fixes
Coming soon.... live analysis and commentary during play (optional), heat maps in review mode. Playing style identification.
Coming later.... Vision Pro Support (Immersive)
The developer, Darren Cox, 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.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Darren Cox
- Size
- 199.6 MB
- Category
- Board
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.6 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 18.6 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 18.6 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 15.6 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 2.6 or later.
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Darren Cox
