Last updated on December 8th, 2025 at 04:28 am
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf – Education Game Review
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is a Education/Board/Strategy game from Chess.com, LLC, first launched in 30th July 2018.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 25,012+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf Stand Out
Looking to learn how to play chess? Meet Dr. Wolf, the ideal chess coach and companion. Dr. Wolf explains everything to you step-by-step, points out strategic ideas, and alerts you to your mistakes. Whether you are a chess beginner eager to learn the basics or an intermediate player looking to refine your strategy, Dr. Wolf tailors the learning experience to your individual needs, offering over 50 comprehensive chess lessons and interactive guidance at every step.
Why Choose Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf?
- Personalized Coaching: Experience the unique teaching method of Dr. Wolf, who not only instructs but also plays alongside you, providing insights into every move. He will introduce topics to you as you play chess, ensuring you grasp the “why” behind each move.
- Audible Coaching: Dr. Wolf speaks out-loud. Actual audio! Experience the unique advantage of having Dr. Wolf speak to you while you look at the board, offering clear, spoken explanations for every move.
- A Comprehensive Chess Curriculum: Engage with an extensive suite of over 50 interactive chess lessons. Starting from foundational concepts, you'll progress through to advanced strategies and tactics, all structured to enhance your understanding and performance in chess.
- Mistake Correction and Practice: Learn from your mistakes in a constructive environment. Dr. Wolf remembers all your moves and goes over them again with you so you don’t make the same mistakes again.
- Diverse Coaching Personalities: Choose from four distinct coach profiles, each with a unique voice, teaching style and personality. You’ll be sure to find the right chess coach for you.
- Gradual Learning of Chess Vocabulary: Expand your vocabulary and understanding of key terms and concepts at a comfortable pace.
- Adaptive Difficulty Level: Choose from a variety of skill levels, ensuring you're always challenged but never overwhelmed.
- Multilingual Support: Available in English, Spanish, French, and German (Voice mode in languages other english is coming soon!).
Learn the game and how to win.
"Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf" blends comprehensive lessons, personalized feedback, and interactive learning, offering a standout experience for those new to chess or aiming to enhance their skills. Whether your goal is to understand chess better, win more games, or simply enjoy this timeless strategy game more deeply, Dr. Wolf is here to guide you every step of the way.
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
This Education game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 6th November 2025
Recent improvements include:
Hello chess players! In this version we have a new lesson: "Caro-Kann, Part II". Enjoy!
Download & Availability
Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Since we developed havana syndrome with tinnitus, both shoulders require replacement; both knees require replacement ; our red blood cells are depleted, etc, but believe us dr wolf is a great trainer for anyone at any lever. We made a few mistakes but he is the only champion that we would ever take advice from. Play chess against dr wolf and you will have fun while learning. Our days evolve around thoughts of how we might keep toe-to-toe with dr Wolfe he is truly a world champion in our life. Thank you dr. Wolfe.
Coming back after a long layoff from playing chess, this coaching is just what we needed. Perfect speed of challenges and opportunities.
Loving the app so far and have learned so much through this app. One thing Id love to see added would be and meter somewhere showing if Im winning/losing during a match for paid subscribers. We think that would be a great addition.
The Program represents the very best, yes, best teaching instrument we have ever experienced. The detail to which this TREASURE EXPLAINS, DEVELOPS and REINFORCES, is the finest we have ever experienced. THANK YOU.Please DOE needs you.
We never do reviews on stuff, but this app is actually very helpful for learning to play chess step-by-step.
We love this chess app. We only wish you would continue to provide new lessons, especially with openings. It has been a while since you have had anything new. Still 5 star worthy. Id toss in a 6th star for a new opening – maybe the Sicilian.
We were surprised how much we didnt know about chess. This app has taught us so much, and we are enjoying it. We actually paid for the training so Im glad we actually feel like its worth the money.
Motivational and informative. We getting better playing this game in a fun way to outsmart your opponent.
We want him to start saying this to students Opening Principles 1. Control the Center Prioritize e4, d4, e5, and d5 squares. 2. Develop Pieces Quickly Knights and bishops before moving the queen. 3. Dont Move the Same Piece Twice Early Unless forced. 4. Castle Early Ensure king safety as soon as possible. 5. Avoid Early Queen Moves It can be easily attacked. 6. Connect Your Rooks Clear the back rank by moving minor pieces. Middlegame Strategy 7. Have a Plan Dont make random moves; create threats. 8. Develop Threats Look for tactical shots (pins, forks, skewers). 9. Avoid Premature Pawn Moves Weakens your position. 10. Use All Your Pieces A piece on the back rank does nothing. 11. Look for Weaknesses Attack isolated or backward pawns. 12. Control Open Files Rooks belong on open or semi-open files. 13. Trade Wisely Swap pieces when it benefits your position. 14. Keep Your King Safe Avoid exposing it too soon. Endgame Principles 15. Activate Your King The king is a strong piece in the endgame. 16. Passed Pawns Must Be Pushed Support them to promote. 17. Rook Behind Passed Pawns Best for promotion support. 18. Avoid Unnecessary Trades Keep an advantage where possible. 19. Use Zugzwang Force the opponent into a losing move. General Tactical Awareness 20. Look for Forks, Pins, and Skewers Tactical motifs win material. 21. Check All Checks and Captures Before making a move. 22. Avoid Hanging Pieces Every move should be checked for threats. 23. Stay Flexible Adjust your plan based on the opponents moves. 24. Never Assume a Move is Forced Always look for alternatives.
We are enjoying the app so far. There could be some tweaks to the feed back he gives. Sometimes we make a mistake or blunder and he still says Great, pinning a piece Also, an eval bar would be cool. We really like the programming tho, its pretty amazing how the computer can make moves trying to see if we will see certain moves or it sets up positions to train us to see certain ideas. 5 stars as long as updates keep coming.
Chess is hard. We have a good opening, developed our pieces but the middle game is a complete mystery. We dont know what to move, why or how to learn patterns that might help us. When Dr. Wolf shows us a correct move, he does not say why it is a good move and what we are trying to achieve. We are mostly just playing defense and hoping to find a piece to attack. It is very frustrating.
This is the best chess training app Ive ever seen. And as far as we know, that exists. And Ive really looked through them all. Ive looked at the other chess.com apps, Ive looked at Chessable, Ive looked at all of them, and they were incoherent and just not the organized curriculum that chess teaching can be. This one is done as a normal way to learn, with consecutive lessons, that you are told to follow one by one, that teaches chess as the understandable subject that it is. Plus AI to teach you in a friendly, human way in games. And so, you actually learn the subject of how to play the game. And so, you learn to play. This is the one that actually works of everything that Ive seen out there.
Only recommendations we can think to make is to add a timer feature that lets you know how long your match was, an ability to snip and record your past games and additional music. Love the app and the aesthetic, Im hooked.
We are an organic learner and struggle to take in too much technical dialogue. This app is perfect for someone like us. It gives you bite size pieces of info with lots of visual the whole time. Chefs kiss.
The chess lessons are so helpful! We just started learning and Ive already learned so much.
We chose to pay for this over some of the other apps because we like that it explains concepts rather than just showing good moves, and its not as overwhelming with features. Super beginner friendly. The lessons are nice and the UI is beautiful.
If we could play any prior game back from beginning to end, we could study it more carefully. Each game could be identified from a date and time stamp, and should include the number of take backs, hints, etc., as currently provided only once, ie., at the end of each game.
We absolutely love this app! As someone who is just starting out in chess, we were pleasantly surprised by how much it has helped us improve. The app offers comprehensive tutorials that break down the fundamentals of the game, making it easy to grasp even the most complex concepts. The user-friendly interface and engaging lessons keep us motivated to learn more. We can honestly say that we've become a much better player thanks to this resource. We would rate it a solid 10 out of 10.
Yes it does prepare you to play chess competitively from a beginning of total ignorance.
Perfect for anyone new to chess… Simple instruction makes learning chess fast.
Theres something nice about having someone block you through a game like Chess. We had a three day trial when we first downloaded the app. And we liked how Dr. Wolf gave us tips and showed us different ways to open a match. It was when we began to play chess IRL so we let go the app but now Im a few months off than we want to get a fresh start with Chess. This is a great app to use if youre just now coming back to the chess. They have a bunch of tutorials for you to learn how to so how are you doing.
Learn how all pieces move and then start learning how to develop pieces and plan your attack while keeping up your defenses. A fun way to learn chess and have coaching as well. Best app we have found on chess.
Downloaded a bunch of chess apps and its not even close. This app has a coaching feature that is absolutely amazing. You can play at different difficulty levels and get hints if needed (to help as you progress); additionally, there are small learning lessons for various tricks and strategies (we learned a lot with this feature). The other thing we love about this app vs others is the appearancemost of the other apps are cartoony or unpleasant to stare at; this app uses a wooden chessboard style, which for some odd reason gives the gameplay a more realistic feeling (idk it just does lol). Hope this helpshighly highly recommend.
We love this app. Its really fun.
Get this because the teacher is so knoeledgable.
New players to the game and even advanced players could definitely benefit from this well thought out Chess App.
We love to play it and it helps you learn chess.
We have been wanting to learn chess and we wasnt doing so well with YouTube tutorials. Our friend recommended this app and it has helped us so much.
Its great for be when youre bored or watching movies with the family.
This app allows us to play chess well.
We love this app. Ive relearned things Id forgotten about chess play.
If you are new to chess this app is so engaging. Youll be checkmating in no time.
First of all, Im a subscriber to Chess.com . However, our chess game has soared tremendously since Ive become a subscriber to Learn Chess with Dr. Wolf . !!! Heres the difference. In our opinion, Dr. Wolf Teaches Chess to the Individual . Chess.com doesnt teach on a personal basis. To us, this is a great help to our chess game. Grandmaster rating, here we come.
Great for beginners as well as anyone trying to take their game to the next level. Plenty of levels at which to play, as well as specific strategies upon which to work. Great app.
This app has great lessons with all the basics and the AI is actually smart. Our only complaint is the in game purchase but the app is still AMAZING without It. Great app.
This was great as a beginner and amazing when we need some lessons and reminders. Incredible interface, super user friendly.
This app is great with the training from dr wolf Ive gone from a novice to a 900 level player in a few months.
We have wanted to find an application that would help us learn the game. It has really opened our understanding of the game. Here a few reasons: 1) The various games provide relaxed training opportunities to make a mistake and then ask if we wish to flip the board to determine why the last move was a mistake. 2) When we finish a game we can go over all of our blunders to compare what we did versus what would have been a better move. 3) The training session help explore specific tactics we can use for the specific pieces in unique circumstances. 4) we just learned there are multiple coaches and we are switching to see if they offer different teaching methods. The only suggestion we can think of is the developer could break the games down to help us recognize when to recognize sacrificing a piece or how to develop in game tactics when transitioning from opening and developing pieces. Well done. Worth the money if you want to learn.
We learned a lot from this app. Highly recommend.
We enjoy this app immensely for a beginner chess enthusiast. While there are YouTubers, friends, and other apps to learn chess from, this was the most beginner friendly that explained the concepts of chess in an interactive way. We also 100% approve of the learning style: repetition, rewards (trophies) in game that give you feedback when youre doing well, and a chance to think before asking for a hint. This helped us improve our playing on the physical board and helped to build our confidence! We love it.
More accessible, urban American voices for the Dr. Wolf characters would help. Also, could we access previous games.
Ive learned more from this app than all others Ive tried combined. Excellent.
This app is great! We really like it! The audible coaching feature is amazing, but replay the voice button, can you add it to the app.
Its fine but we think it should be more hard.
Great game even better if you got money for coaching.
This app is extremely well made and a a great way to learn chess. One quirk is with the voices. Im not sure if theyre AI generated, but they often try to pronounce commas and other forms of grammar, which results in odd audible instructions. At least with the default voice.
We loooovvvveeee this game!!!! It strengthens our mind and helps us win against real people! We love the lessons and the achievement part!!! The only thing we dont like is the fact that the coaching costs money. And we dont have money. Sooooo yea other than that it is amazing.
It helps learn chess but coaching should be way cheaper but the fact that its also offline though is amazing love the game.
Ive been using this app to play chess for a few weeks now. Paid for a year. It all feels very AI generated and not in a fun way. There are only a handful of responses Dr. Wolf has and they get pretty tedious. Often he will consider a certain move as being the best move you can make but not explain why. Once he even said he didnt know why. Sometimes the best move makes no sense so without an explanation he leaves us frustrated and confused. Also the responses to the moves you make like hmm not the move we would have expected get real old. Overall it feels like something is missing from this app. It needs more work.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 3.11.0
- Size: 98.69 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: EN, FR, DE, ES
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: Chess.com, LLC
Last updated: 6th November 2025 | Genre: Education, Board | Developer: Chess.com, LLC