Brass Pawn vs SmallFish: guided 8-mode training & coaching vs raw Stockfish GUI
Guided 8-mode training suite vs minimalist Stockfish GUI
| Capability | Brass Pawn | SmallFish |
|---|---|---|
| Bundled engines | Stockfish 18 (1400–full) + Reckless 0.10 (full) compiled locally | Local Stockfish build on iOS |
| Native platforms | iPhone, iPad and Mac (macOS 14+, iOS/iPadOS 17+) | iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS) |
| Evaluation output | Win-probability grading + plain-English position-feature coaching + move values | Raw numeric centipawn evaluation and principal-variation move strings |
| Bundled training modes | 14,351 tactics, 116 positional, 15 endgames, Rush, 1,624 Guess the Elo, 900 Watch games | Analysis board and engine play; no bundled spaced-repetition tactics or positional curriculum |
| Board photo recognition | On-device Apple Vision camera/photo position reader included | Manual board setup / FEN / PGN import |
| Board rendering | 2D themes plus 3D carved and brass/bronze sets in SwiftUI | Clean 2D board |
Study workflow, multiplayer and cost
| Aspect | Brass Pawn | SmallFish |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | GNU AGPLv3 open source on GitHub | GPLv3 open source |
| Advertising & tracking | Zero ads, zero trackers, no account | Zero ads, zero trackers, no account |
| Online human play | Real-time Game Center matches (3, 5, 10, 15, 30 min) + friend invites | Solo offline engine and PGN tool |
| Daily broadcast stories | Today mode highlights turning points from current elite events | Not included |
| Cost | $0 unlimited engine play, Game Center & 900 Watch games; Pro $3.99/mo or $39.99 once for unlimited daily drills | $0 free app |
When to use Brass Pawn vs SmallFish
| What you want to do | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Understand why your move was bad in words rather than reading “-1.45 d5 exd5 Nxd5” | Brass Pawn | Win-probability move grading and position-feature sentences translate engine lines into plans. |
| Inspect raw Stockfish MultiPV lines and step through external PGN files for $0 on an older iPhone | SmallFish | Fast, minimalist raw UCI analysis board with zero frills. |
| Follow a structured daily loop of tactics, quiet positional judgement and endgame conversion | Brass Pawn | All bundled offline with spaced repetition and per-discipline ratings. |
| Compare Stockfish 18 against a second engine (Reckless 0.10) on iPhone, iPad or Mac | Brass Pawn | Both engines are compiled into Brass Pawn and switchable in Settings. |
| Snap a photo of a chess book diagram and play it out against Stockfish offline | Brass Pawn | Built-in on-device Apple Vision photo board reader. |
Why raw engine lines alone rarely cure club blunders
SmallFish is an admirable utility when you already know how to interrogate an engine: paste a PGN, read "+1.82", and play through ten plies of algebraic notation yourself. For most improving players, however, raw centipawn lines treat a meaningless drop at +8.0 identically to a game-losing concession at 0.0, and never name the strategic concept behind the line.
Brass Pawn wraps Stockfish 18 and Reckless 0.10 in a coaching layer built for improvement: win-probability grading separates decisive mistakes from noise, coaching notes name open files, knight outposts and isolated pawns across 31 languages, and Play & Coach stays 100% free.
Native macOS support alongside iPhone and iPad
Unlike iOS-only utilities, Brass Pawn ships natively for macOS 14+ as well as iPhone and iPad, with 2D and 3D boards, Game Center multiplayer and 900 decisive master games.
Honest boundaries
When SmallFish is the better fit
- SmallFish is completely free across every screen, whereas Brass Pawn meters its five training drill modes to 5/day unless you unlock Pro ($3.99/mo or $39.99 once).
- SmallFish focuses on raw PGN file folder management and UCI parameter tweaking for users who want a bare engine scratchpad.
- SmallFish has lower OS minimums on older iOS hardware; Brass Pawn requires iOS/iPadOS 17.0+ or macOS 14.0+.
Frequently asked questions
- Is playing against Stockfish 18 free in Brass Pawn just like SmallFish?
- Yes. Unlimited play against Stockfish 18 (from ~1400 to full strength) or Reckless 0.10, including live move-by-move coaching and take-backs, is completely free forever in Brass Pawn.
- Which version of Stockfish ships in Brass Pawn?
- Brass Pawn ships Stockfish 18 (GPLv3) alongside Reckless 0.10 (AGPLv3), both compiled natively into the app.
- Can Brass Pawn read a chess position from a book or physical board?
- Yes. Under Play → Board → Photo, Brass Pawn uses Apple Vision on your device (completely offline) plus a four-corner tap and editor check to read real chessboards or book diagrams.
- Are both apps open source?
- Yes — SmallFish is GPLv3 and Brass Pawn is GNU AGPLv3 with full source published on GitHub.
Native on iPhone, iPad & Mac
Practise offline with Stockfish 18 and Reckless 0.10
Play unlimited coached games against the engine or over Game Center for free, with five daily exercises in Tactics, Rush, Positional judgement, Endgames and Guess the Elo — and zero advertising under the GNU AGPLv3.