Square Chess icon

Square Chess

Christopher Ottesen
Strategy Game Board
Version
1.4.1
Size
5.3 MB
Requires
Android API 26+
4.2 / 5 · 15,842 ratings 92,902 downloads

Updated Oct 14, 2026

Quick answer

Chess built for square screens, compact devices, e-ink and physical keyboards.

Square Chess is a chess app built for Android devices that ordinary chess apps often overlook — square and near-square screens, e-ink devices, compact devices and devices with physical keyboards.

The board comes first. Square Chess uses as much of the display as possible, whether you are playing by touch, typing moves on a physical keyboard, or using an e-ink screen.

Play against the computer at ten difficulty levels, from beginner-friendly play to full strength. You can also enable hints when you want a little help without giving up control of the game.

Train your tactics with 10,000 offline puzzles. Choose a theme or play a quick set of five, and the puzzles you miss come back for review.

You can also:

• Play with a friend on the same device, with an optional chess clock. • Record games played on a real chessboard and review them afterwards. • Type moves such as e4, Nf3, O-O or e2e4 on a physical keyboard. • Use a dedicated e-ink mode with a clear black-and-white board, shape-based highlights and no animations. • Review, undo and export your games as PGN for Lichess, ChessBase and other chess software. • Use the built-in standalone chess clock for over-the-board games.

Everything runs locally on your device.

No ads. No account. No Internet permission.

Your games and settings stay on your device.

Square Chess works on conventional Android phones and tablets too, but is designed especially for devices where standard chess apps do not make the best use of the screen or hardware.

Screenshots

Square Chess screenshot 1
Square Chess screenshot 2
Square Chess screenshot 3
Square Chess screenshot 4
Square Chess screenshot 5
Square Chess screenshot 6
Square Chess screenshot 7
Square Chess screenshot 8

What’s new

Release builds now use R8 code and resource shrinking. The APK is about half the size of the previous release, with the same app features.

How to install

  1. Download the APK from the button at the top of this page.
  2. Allow “Install unknown apps” for your browser or file manager only, not for every app.
  3. Open the downloaded file and confirm the installation.
  4. If installation fails with “App not installed,” remove an earlier build of the same app first. A signature conflict is the usual cause.

Data safety

  • Every file is checked against its published SHA-256 before it is listed.
  • Files are scanned for malware on every update.
  • The permissions each app requests are listed on its own page.
  • Read the full safety policy for how we test, flag, and delist files.

Frequently asked questions

What is Square Chess?
Chess built for square screens, compact devices, e-ink and physical keyboards.
Who develops Square Chess?
Square Chess is developed by Christopher Ottesen.
Which Android version does Square Chess require?
Square Chess requires Android API 26 or later.
What is the current version of Square Chess?
The synchronized F-Droid version is 1.4.1.
Which license does Square Chess use?
The signed F-Droid metadata lists GPL-3.0-or-later.
Where is the source code for Square Chess?
https://github.com/chriotte/square-chess

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