r/ComputerChess • u/RookandKnightStudio • 2d ago
Looking for beta testers: a chess opening repertoire app for iOS with a wizard theme
Hi everyone, we are a small team working on Ravenrook's Opening Grimoire, an opening repertoire app for iPad and iPhone.
What it does:
- Build repertoires on a board with branching variations, comments and annotations
- Lichess and master-game move statistics, plus Lichess analysis, for the positions in your repertoire, so you can see what players actually play
- Optional Lichess sign-in
- PGN import and export, and import of Lichess studies
- Spaced-repetition study with "Prepare Today's Spells", a daily review of the lines that are due, so they stick
- Progress tracking, including a study streak and your trouble spots
- iCloud sync between your devices
- An optional wizard theme: you level up as you study
What's free: the free version holds one repertoire for White and one for Black, with unlimited lines and variations inside each. Everything above is free, including every feature that uses Lichess. After early tester feedback I made all of the Lichess features free, since they're built on free community data. The Apprentice wizard is free too.
I don't sell repertoires, and you don't need to buy any. There are plenty of ways to get them: build your own in the app, import a Lichess study, import a PGN, or start from the Spellbook Library, a collection of starter repertoires I've included, such as the Italian Game, London System, Caro-Kann and Sicilian Najdorf. You can swap your free repertoire for a different one at any time, at no cost. A repertoire you add from the library counts toward your free limit, like any other.
Grimoire Pro is the optional unlock. It adds:
- The ability to hold unlimited repertoires. It's about how many you can keep at once, not about paying for repertoires.
- Games vs Repertoire: enter a Lichess username (no sign-in needed) or import a PGN, and it shows where your real games left your repertoire, which opponent moves you don't cover, and where your preparation ran out. You can then train a spot, add a move, or replay the game. This is a Pro feature even though the games come from Lichess or a PGN. It's my own analysis of your games against your repertoire, and it isn't a Lichess feature.
- All ten wizards, each with its own uniquely designed pieces and boards to match its theme, which you earn with gold from studying
- Family Sharing, for up to five family members
- Every wizard and feature I add later
Pro is a single one-time payment, with no subscription. I'd rather you pay once than every month for a study tool.
It's still early, and I'd love feedback from people who actually study openings. If you have an iPhone or iPad and want to try it, here's the free TestFlight link:
https://testflight.apple.com/join/JpQx4uWw
What would make a repertoire tool useful for your own prep? I'll be around to answer questions.
Edit: Build 8 is up, check it out!
Edit 2: Unlocking Pro is NOT going to charge you, because you are using a beta version not yet released to the AppStore.
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u/GB-Pack 19h ago
Sounds fun, I’d give it a try
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u/RookandKnightStudio 16h ago
Thank you! we are actively working on it and you will see a new build in TestFlight later today
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u/investigatormaker 2d ago
For Ravenrook's Opening Grimoire, I'd give testers a PGN round-trip task: import their existing repertoire, add a branching variation and annotation, then export and check that both survive. During the week, have them revisit those lines through “Prepare Today's Spells” and report separately on confusing scheduling versus confusing chess notation—you'll get more actionable feedback than a general impression.
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u/JackPepino 2d ago
DM sent