Choose KNIGHTS
Choose KNIGHTS if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. KNIGHTS launched in 2016.
KNIGHTS vs The Chess Variants Club
KNIGHTS and The Chess Variants Club both land in Strategy, Indie, 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, Indie, Casual on Steam. KNIGHTS (2016) is 4 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020). Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (KNIGHTS: 388 reviews, The Chess Variants Club: 23). 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 and Simulation game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
Both KNIGHTS and The Chess Variants Club sit in Strategy, Indie, and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.4% vs 95.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 KNIGHTS |  The Chess Variants Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.4% positive (388 reviews) | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Arzola's | Minimol Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- KNIGHTS (2016) is 4 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020).
- Both sit near 96% positive on Steam (KNIGHTS: 388 reviews, The Chess Variants Club: 23).
- KNIGHTS is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Chess Variants Club (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- KNIGHTS is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Chess Variants Club has no Deck rating yet.
KNIGHTS vs The Chess Variants Club — FAQ
- Should I play KNIGHTS or The Chess Variants Club first?
- If you want chronology, KNIGHTS (2016) 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 KNIGHTS and The Chess Variants Club similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, 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.
- Does KNIGHTS have multiplayer like The Chess Variants Club?
- No. The Chess Variants Club supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while KNIGHTS is listed as single-player only.
- Does KNIGHTS run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — KNIGHTS is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Chess Variants Club doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.