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How to Make Your Own Chess Software

Chess, also known as ̶0;The Game of Kings,̶1; has been a game of intellect for almost every major civilized society for many hundreds of years. In the modern age, we have developed the next stage of chess combatants: the computer chess software. Able to process the statistics, probable moves and advanced tactics of chess literally millions of times faster than the human brain, computers are wonderful opponents to practice against.

To make your own chess software, some basic programming knowledge is needed. Beyond that, however, The Game of Kings remains unchanged as it has for centuries.

Things You'll Need

Visual Interface
Basic rules
Advanced moves
Check & checkmate identifier

Instructions

- 1
  Design a visual interface for your digital chess board. This can be as simple as a two-dimensional square, subdivided into 64 smaller squares with a symbol representing each piece, or as complex as a three-dimensional, full-color virtual chess board with interactive pieces. The style of your chess board is only limited by your skills and imagination.
- 2
  Program the basic rules of chess into your interface; that is, the unique movement abilities of each piece, what happens when pieces are captured, etc. Test each rule you implement thoroughly, for both sides of the board, before moving on to the next rule. This will save you a great deal of hassle in later stages.
- 3
  Include the advanced moves of chess, including special moves like castling, en pass ant, pawn promotion, etc. These can be difficult to factor into your programming, but with patience and diligence, can be accomplished. Again, make sure to test each movement thoroughly before moving on to the next move to avoid a disastrous program failure later.
- 4
  Add the coup de grace to your chess software: The ability to identify check and checkmate. The King is the only piece that can be affected at a distance by enemy soldiers, and so the King requires special rules that apply to only him. Make sure that your King can be checked and checkmated by each individual piece from every possible angle, and that you have chess software to practice on right at home, with or without a flesh-and-blood opponent.

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