Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

Name: Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf
Rating: 4.79284 (18174 reviews)

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Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

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4.8

18.2K ratings

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Chess.com, LLC

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$4.99 – $49.99

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User Reviews for Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf

Bad reviews come from Freeloaders

Before getting this app, I only knew how the pieces moved. That’s it. I went through all the lessons for beginners and then played a game against the AI set at “strong beginner”. I was able to defeat it, albeit with my coach every once in a while nudging me in the right direction and the ability to take back some bad moves here and there. The amount I learned is astonishing. I signed up for the $4.99/month which is just peanuts considering you get a “coach” that actually teaches you and sets up many exercises and problems when covering lessons. Much like a math or music tutor would do. If you do yearly instead of monthly you’ll get it for less than three bucks a month. This is such a no-brainer. I took the free trial and saw the value right away.Not surprisingly, the bad reviews for this magnificent app come from people who want everything for free. That’s their main beef: “Waa waaaa it’s pay for play, waaa waaa”. How are they surprised that they have to pay for quality goods and services? Do these people go to a car dealership, enjoy their free test drive, and then complain that they have to pay if they actually want the car?Anyway, the AI coaching here is nice. A patient and understanding experienced dude at your service 24/7. Exceptional for beginners.

112233-?, Apr 29, 2020

The best chess app yet

I downloaded this app with some skepticism, since I’ve tried numerous chess apps over the years but found them frustrating. This one, however, is in a league of its own (I have the paid version). My chess abilities have skyrocketed, and my only complaint is that it’s addictive! I would like to see some additional options as the developers continue to listen to feedback, as they so graciously do. Some suggestions: let the user see which pieces have been captured; add a forward button (for when we use the back button and then change our mind—sometimes Dr W plays differently when we do that); explain why he sometimes labels a move as a blunder (in the “learn from your mistakes” option after a game, which is generally very helpful). In that section, I’d also like to see exactly what I played when he shows me the board where I made a mistake. But for those of you wondering whether this app is worth it, I would say that its advantages are terrific!

Another Scrabble addict, Feb 07, 2020

“Expert” level not expert enough.

Dr. Wolf at expert level is no more than a version of the advanced level that makes almost just as many mistakes, albeit less embarrassing ones. When I launch a legitimate attack on “expert” Dr. Wolf, he often makes ridiculous blunders that beckons checkmate in less than 5 moves, leaving me feeling snubbed by the end. There are obviously somewhat educational purposes to his sudden weaknesses, but a difficulty level named as it is should be a platform where highly advanced players can feel consistently challenged. I believe having a more formidable opponent that can still act as a guide through more complicated variations retains more educational value than an opponent who plays with enticing inaccuracy. The latter is, after all, not an ideal role model for the more perceptive amateurs. Also, the concept of “strong moves” are based on very short-sighted standards, evaluating my moves just in light of incidental guiding principles and not the overall strategy of the game. Not expert teaching, I guess. If the nature of the app’s chess advice would be more refined and flexible, this app would become more competitive. And if learning opportunities and consistency of computer strength could be reconciled in an exceptional way, this app would become my favorite for chess.

AnotherQuixote, Jul 22, 2020

Good for Basics - Buyer Beware

I really enjoyed this app at first. I think it has a great approach to teach a beginning chess player. Really like the format. However, eventually you hit a “pay wall” which can be frustrating. I was considering buying the additional content/access.... and then? I was playing Dr Wolf, and he castled to get out of check. You can’t do that. Clearly a glitch / bug, whatever. But I’m not going to pay to play against a computer opponent (and pay for “coaching” from “him”) if he sometimes is programmed to forget some basic rules. Not cool. Not paying. Deleting. To the programmer: check your logic to make sure Dr Wolf knows the castling rules and follows them.Update following developer response: I have increased my rating by 2 stars, as the developer responded quickly and kindly to show interest in investigating the bug. I really appreciate that as a user that they stand by their product. Unfortunately, I can’t help any further right now, as I can’t generate a screenshot from a game from some time ago. As I’d spent many hours playing Dr Wolf, I think this issue to be very rare indeed - if it were to happen in future I will of course try to be more helpful and save a screenshot (also a PGN). Thanks for reaching back - if it happens again I will supply better data to you via an email or something instead of an app review!

disappointed_customers, Jan 01, 2021

Only Worth it For Lessons, Not Actually Playing Chess

The app has great lessons, my chess game has already improved significantly with the free ones! Playing actual chess games against the AI is a different story however. I have yet to find an AI that doesn't cheat, or refuse to lose. I tried to win many games against the AI here, and only won once. One game I had a rook, a queen, a knight, and a bishop and the AI only had the king. I should've been able to win that one, right? Everytime I made a move with any of these that would put its king in check with it cornered the AI would call a draw. I took back the move and tried to win with many different moves and angles, and got the same results. I am, however, able to beat the AI of other chess apps with strategies from this one, when they don't cheat that is.Edit: (In response to developers response.) Ty for letting me know that, As a beginner I did not know that rule about chess. I probably just missed it. Some of the other chess apps out there don't always enforce that one as much. Maybe you could have Dr. Wolf explain that more often? I'll be sure to send in screenshots of anything that I have questions about.

Dream Surfin, Nov 25, 2020

Better Replays

This is a great teaching tool for sure. I’m learning stuff I’ve never known about on top of the fact that I haven’t played chess since I was an early teen. But watching you tube chess games this last month has inspired my desire to learn. What seems to be lacking for me in this tutorial is that I can’t back things up after checkmate. And during the Training I can’t back up or move forward to see where my blunder was if I were to move forward. I’ve found in playing the game here I’m making a move that the software is telling me it’s a bad move yet I continue anyway and find that I did exactly what I had planned to do and won. Although there may have been a better play but it didn’t fit my ultimate plane. If there were an option to click a button to show the better move or even moves that would help me a lot. I’m a very visual learner and that would be fantastic.I have a long way to go in learning this game and this software is great. I haven’t used any other software out there to know of anything different but here’s my 2 cents. Thank you again!!!

Impressed77, Jan 16, 2023

Even with the “best moves” you lose

I am not a great chess player. I would like to be… so I paid for this app. $40 later, and when it’s working the problems, it’ll take a move that you made from one of the games that it’s decided was a blunder, and let you find the “best move”. “You have the game winning advantage here. Can you find the best move?”, it says. So you you find it, and it gives you the option to go to the next problem or “Play from here”….. and I lose. Every time. Now think about this… it takes a move from a game that *YOU WON* and turns the game to a loss. That doesn’t make sense…. Ok… so maybe I’m just missing something… so after a month of frustration, I decided to go from the “play from here” and take the hint for the best move for every turn to see what I’m missing…. Here’s the hint. Nothing. I am missing *nothing*. I take the hint for the best move all the way to a loss… 83 games in a row… but when I play on my own…. I win almost every single game. Biggest waste of $40 I have ever spent on a game…. Well… other than Candy Crush.

pjjones81, Nov 14, 2021

Nice app just a few annoying little things.

I like the idea of this app. There is a fewThings I would change. Like the “stalemate” feature. This could be something that I can turn on or off if I want to. Many times I’ve found myself frustrated that it would come up without me being able to turn it off. I would have to find another way to get the king and it’s annoying. I imagen if I play against a human he will just keep going until I checkmate his king. It felt annoying and made meRegret downloading the app at times. Other then that, I like it. I would of also liked that they put an actual voice in the text lessons and training. It gets boring to read, it would be nice to have it verbalized so I don’t have to read. After while it becomes a chore to read the lessons and I lost interest in engaging with it. That’s the only feedback I have with app. Other then that, I like it. If there is any upgrades in the future, it would be nice to also have more lessons and training with an actual voice. Maybe have courses within the app that are aside from the basic lessons and training to go more in-depth in becoming good with just knights, rooks and etc.

Pr.abhu, Jan 06, 2023

Project/Example-Based-Learning at its peak

I rarely write reviews but I honestly thank this app so much. I’d propose that there’s at least one psychologist in the developer team. I’d wanted to learn chess for a long time but the potential barrier were pretty tough. But this step-by-step break-down and humanistic encouragements (and even humor!) made learning exponentially faster and I finally found the feeling how learning a brain-demanding skill could be addictive. It’s like you had a real coach who watches over you and patiently points out where you needs to improve - the antidote to solitude and fear of humiliation, two of the greatest enemies of learning. The instruction style that this app uses is indeed the study-proved and tried-and-true best way to lead a student forward. I’ve been trying to search for apps that teach other intellectual skills with a similar style but have been in vain so far. I really wish there could be more apps of this sort. Well worth the money.

Ricci Tensor, Jul 10, 2021

Wonderful teaching game, but...

This app is fantastic, but I feel I can’t give it 5 stars for two reasons. If a future update fixes these, then I’ll happily change my review. First, when asking for a hint on what to do, it doesn’t often say why we should move this piece there, and it isn’t always apparent (though he might explain why he moved a certain piece or congratulate you on finding an attacking or defensive position). The second is that the level difference between “Advanced” and “Expert” is astronomical. I can easily win against Dr. Wolf’s advanced-level games, but the expert level demolishes me every single time. I’m not suggesting to make the app easier; however, adding more levels after advanced and before expert would be a great addition. Being stuck at a level that I can beat over and over provides a steeper learning curve when the next one is near impossible for my skill level. I’m not sure if I’m the only one with this issue, but for my own personal benefit after buying the pro version (definitely recommend), I wish it had this feature. Note: I have not also tried out other teachers yet, was hoping to beat Dr. Wolf first.

Spectre J, Dec 03, 2020

Description

Meet Dr. Wolf, the ideal chess coach and companion. Play chess alongside Dr.

Wolf as he explains everything step-by-step, points out strategic ideas, and alerts you to your mistakes. Whatever your skill level, Dr. Wolf is the best way to learn and improve your chess game. Features: • Learn chess from the beginning • Personalized in-game coaching for all skill levels • Helpful hints just when you need them • Great explanations of why moves are good or bad • Training against past mistakes until they are mastered • Learn chess lingo gradually • Over 40 detailed lessons for all skill levels • 4 unique coaches to choose from • Friendly, patient, and witty! ---------------------------------------------- Dr. Wolf will coach you for free for 3 games of chess so that you can appreciate his style of in-game teaching. Then, to continue learning, you can subscribe to Coaching. With Coaching, Dr. Wolf teaches while you play chess, pointing out good moves and bad — both yours and his — and the reasoning behind them. At times, he'll gently suggest you reconsider a move, or ask a question at a critical moment. Plus, you get unlimited hints, unlimited undos, and unlimited access to our Lesson Library, with over thirty lessons in Dr. Wolf's unique style. Whether or not you choose to subscribe, Dr. Wolf will always play with you. He loves chess too much to turn down a good game. ** TERMS & DETAILS ** Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged the same amount for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a Free Trial, if offered, is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Prices may vary by location. Terms of Use: https://www.learnchesswithdrwolf.com/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.learnchesswithdrwolf.com/privacy-policy