Chess Game

A local two-player chess game built with Java Swing. The board shows legal moves, checks, move history, and a clock for each player.

Run

Install JDK 17 or newer. On macOS or Linux, run:

./run.sh

The script creates dist/ChessGame.jar. You can launch the built game later with java -jar dist/ChessGame.jar.

To run the headless chess-rule tests:

./test.sh

Play

Choose a clock preset, then click a piece and a highlighted destination. White moves first. When a pawn reaches the far rank, choose its promotion piece. The presets show minutes plus seconds added after each move. Use New game to reset the board and clocks; Agree draw and Resign end the current game. A player loses when their clock runs out.

You can also use the arrow keys to focus a square, Enter or Space to select it, and Escape to clear the selection.

The rules engine handles legal moves, check, checkmate, stalemate, castling, en passant, promotion, and common insufficient-material draws. This is a same-computer game; it does not include a computer opponent or online play.

Draws by repetition and the fifty-move rule are not yet detected automatically.

Project structure

• ChessGame.java: chess state and rules, independent of Swing.
• ChessApp.java: desktop interface, clocks, board rendering, and controls.
• ChessGameTest.java: headless rule checks.
• W*.png and B*.png: piece artwork from the original project. The knight files retain their original night spelling.

The earlier prototype files were replaced by the standalone rules engine and interface. The project has no external dependencies.