Choose Check vs Mate
Choose Check vs Mate if you want an Action experience. Check vs Mate launched in 2012.
Check vs Mate vs The Chess Variants Club
Check vs Mate and The Chess Variants Club both land in Strategy, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Casual on Steam. Check vs Mate (2012) is 8 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020). The Chess Variants Club scores higher on Steam reviews (95.7% positive) than Check vs Mate (66.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose The Chess Variants Club
Choose The Chess Variants Club if you want a Sports, Indie, and Simulation game with Shared/Split Screen. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
Both Check vs Mate and The Chess Variants Club sit in Strategy and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Check vs Mate |  The Chess Variants Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Casual | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 66.4% positive (211 reviews) | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Targem Games | Minimol Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Casual on Steam.
- Check vs Mate (2012) is 8 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020).
- The Chess Variants Club scores higher on Steam reviews (95.7% positive) than Check vs Mate (66.4% positive).
- The Chess Variants Club is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Check vs Mate (4.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
Check vs Mate vs The Chess Variants Club — FAQ
- Should I play Check vs Mate or The Chess Variants Club first?
- If you want chronology, Check vs Mate (2012) came out before The Chess Variants Club (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Check vs Mate and The Chess Variants Club similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.