ScrollChessSupport
Write to hey@scrollchess.com. The person who wrote the app is the one who answers.
Questions people ask
How do you move a piece on such a small screen?
The Digital Crown moves a crosshair from one of your pieces to the next, and a tap anywhere on the screen confirms. The tap carries no coordinates, so a 22.5 pt square, or 17.5 pt on a 40 mm watch, never has to be a touch target. Measured on an Apple Watch Ultra, a move takes about 4.9 seconds with no missed targets across 60 moves.
Does it work without an iPhone?
Yes. The watch app plays full games against the engine and the daily puzzle on its own, with no phone nearby and no network. The engine and the puzzles are inside the app.
How do I install it on my Apple Watch?
One purchase covers both apps. The usual route is the iPhone: buy it there, then open the Watch app on the iPhone your watch is paired with, find ScrollChess in the list and tap Install. Once it is on the watch it runs on its own, with no phone nearby and no network.
Do my games sync between the watch and the iPhone?
No, not yet. Each device keeps its own games and its own streak. The daily puzzle is the same on both, because each one works it out from the date rather than from the other device.
Does it work with VoiceOver?
Yes, on both platforms. Every square announces where it is, what stands on it and what is happening to it, and the board can be played directly rather than only read.
Can I play against a friend?
Two people can share one iPhone: the board turns around between moves, so whoever is to play is always looking at their own side. Playing across two devices is not supported yet.
Is there a subscription?
No. $6.99 once, or €7.99 in the euro area, where prices are shown with VAT included. That is the whole transaction: no in-app purchases, no advertising, no account.
Where do the puzzles come from?
1048 puzzles from a public-domain (CC0) database of chess puzzles, rated 800–1300 and filtered down to lines short enough to solve on a wrist. Every one was replayed through the app's own rules before it shipped, so a puzzle that our rules disagree with never made it in.
Which engine does it play?
Its own. The rules, the search and the four difficulty levels were written for this app rather than borrowed from an existing open-source engine, which is why the weak levels play like a weaker person instead of like a strong engine making occasional random blunders.
Something is wrong
Say what you did, what happened, and which watch and iPhone you have. If a move was refused or a puzzle looked wrong, that is worth reporting precisely. The rules are this app's own, and a position that behaves oddly is a bug worth fixing rather than a misunderstanding.