Leon Mendonca and Aram Hakobyan tested ChessBase's new Puzzle Fight app at the company's office, and the results speak for themselves. The two strong players went head-to-head in rapid-fire puzzle duels using a beta version before the official launch this weekend.
The app is free and available now. Puzzle Fight drops you into a competitive format where you solve chess problems faster than your opponent. Speed matters as much as accuracy. The format proved addictive enough that both players kept going back for more rounds, as the video evidence shows.
This is ChessBase's entry into the puzzle game market, where apps like Chess.com and Lichess have already built engaged audiences. The appeal is straightforward: players want to sharpen their tactical vision, and Puzzle Fight makes it a game. You're not just grinding puzzles alone. You're racing someone else.
The fact that strong players like Mendonca and Hakobyan stayed engaged during testing is telling. Puzzle Fight doesn't feel like a training tool that gets boring after ten minutes. It feels like actual competition.
THE BOTTOM LINE: ChessBase has built something that hooks players on puzzles through head-to-head competition rather than solo grinding.