ChessMasterCLI is a command-line interface (CLI) chess game designed to make learning and training accessible for beginners while offering an engaging experience for all skill levels. This sleek and user-friendly chess simulator provides a platform for novice players to build their skills and understanding of the game.
Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed in your system.
Download the latest version of ChessMaster.jar from here.
Open a terminal instance and navigate into the folder that contains the downloaded ChessMaster.jar file.
cd PATH_TO_JAR_FILE
java -jar ChessMaster.jar
You should be greeted by a welcome message from ChessMaster:
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Hey there, chess geek! You have stumbled upon the one and only:
________ __ ___ __
/ ____/ /_ ___ __________ / |/ /___ ______/ /____ _____
/ / / __ \/ _ \/ ___/ ___/ / /|_/ / __ `/ ___/ __/ _ \/ ___/
/ /___/ / / / __(__ |__ ) / / / / /_/ (__ ) /_/ __/ /
\____/_/ /_/\___/____/____/ /_/ /_/\__,_/____/\__/\___/_/
where CHESS becomes an exciting journey of strategy and skill!
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Upon launching the application, ChessMaster checks if there is a previous game in progress. If a previous game exists, you’ll be presented with the option to continue from where you left off. Please enter y for yes and n for no.
You have an ongoing previous chess game. Continue game? [y/n/exit]
However, if you prefer to start a fresh game or if no previous game is found, ChessMaster will prompt you to select your preferred color—whether it’s “White” or “Black.” Please enter b for black and w for white.
Choose your starting color to start new game! [b/w/exit]
Next, you can choose the difficulty of the AI you will be pitched against! The current supported difficulty levels range from 1 to 3. Please enter the number corresponding to your preferred difficulty level.
Choose your difficulty level! [1/2/3/exit]
Inputs that are not compliant with the expect input (indicated in []) will be rejected and users will be prompted to re-input.
Else, you’ll be off to a rewarding journey of enhancing your chess skills and enjoying the timeless game of strategy and tactics with ChessMaster!
The gameplay system of ChessMaster provides you with the flexibility to enter either a command or a move during your turn.
Additionally, every time a move is executed, ChessMaster provides a comprehensive view of the chessboard, displaying the state of the game following the previous move.
| User Move | CPU move |
|---|---|
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The game will automatically end and a victor be declared when one side has been checkmated, or if both players are stuck in a stalemate situation where neither player can avoid moving into a checked position.
Checkmate is the point in the game where the attacking player has the opponent’s king in a situation where it can’t escape being captured on the next move. The king is “trapped” and has no safe squares to move to, and no other pieces can help.
Otherwise, you may use the exit command if you wish to end the game midway and quit the program or restart command to start a new game.
To make a move, simply enter the coordinate of the piece to be moved, followed by the coordinates it is to be moved to.
Format: move [column][row] [column][row]
Examples:
move a2 a4move b3 g6ChessMaster automatically checks if the move is valid and legal before it is executed. If the move is valid, an output as shown above in the Gameplay section will be output. Else, the following error message will be shown:
Oops, that move isn't valid!
movesShows the available moves for a piece on the board. This command can be used for both yours and the enemy’s pieces.
Format: moves [column][row]
Example: moves e5
Expected Output:
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
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(8) | R | N | B | Q | K | B | N | R | (8)
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(7) | P | P | P |[ ]| |[P]| P | P | (7)
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(6) | | |[ ]| P | | |[ ]| | (6)
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(5) | | | | |{n}| | | | (5)
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(4) | | |[ ]| | | |[ ]| | (4)
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(3) | | | |[ ]| |[ ]| | | (3)
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(2) | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | (2)
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(1) | r | n | b | q | k | b | | r | (1)
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(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
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Available coordinates for Knight at e5:
f7 d7 f3 d3 g6 g4 c6 c4
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showShows the current state of the chess board.
Format: show
Expected Output:
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Here is the current board state:
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(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
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(8) | R | N | B | Q | K | B | N | R | (8)
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(7) | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | (7)
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(6) | | | | | | | | | (6)
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(5) | | | | | | | | | (5)
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(4) | | | | | | | | | (4)
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(3) | | | | | | | | | (3)
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(2) | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | (2)
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(1) | r | n | b | q | k | b | n | r | (1)
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(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
rulesObtain a quick refresher on the rules of chess
Format: rules
Expected Output:
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Here are simple chess rules to get you started:
Piece movement:
Pawn ("p") move forward one square but capture diagonally.
Rooks ("r") move horizontally and vertically any number of squares.
Knights ("n") move in an L-shape.
Bishops ("b") move diagonally any number of squares.
Queens ("q") move any number of squares in any direction.
Kings ("k") move one square in any direction.
Special Rules:
[Refer to specific move methods in the User Guide]
Castling - King and rook move simultaneously to safeguard the king.
En Passant - Pawn capturing when moving two squares from starting position.
Pawn Promotion - Promote a pawn to another piece (except king) upon reaching the back rank.
Objective:
Game ends when one player's king is in checkmate, under attack and can't escape capture.
The delivering player wins the game.
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For the move to be valid:
To perform castling on either sides:
Examples and expected output:
Castling availability: moves e1 |
Execute castle move: moves e1 c1 |
|---|---|
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This move only happens when your opponent moves their pawn two squares forward from its starting position and lands next to your pawn. To capture en passant, you must do it on your very next move.
| Sample board before en passant | Executing en passant move: move d5 e6 |
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helpShow a list of commands and what they do
Format: help
Expected Output:
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Here are the commands you can use to play:
move Move piece
Format: move [column][row] [column][row]
e.g. move a2 a3
moves Show available moves for a piece
Format: moves [column][row]
e.g. moves a2
show Show the chessboard
rules Obtain a quick refresher on the rules of chess
legend View pieces representation
restart Start a new game
history View history of all game moves
stepback View the board as it was a certain number of moves ago
Format: stepback [number of moves to step back]
e.g. stepback 4
captured See which Player and CPU pieces have been captured so far
exit Exit game
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legendDisplay a legend that explains the piece representations
Format: legend
Expected Output:
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Black pieces:
"R" represents a black rook.
"N" represents a black knight.
"B" represents a black bishop.
"Q" represents a black queen.
"K" represents a black king.
"P" represents a black pawn.
White pieces:
"r" represents a white rook.
"n" represents a white knight.
"b" represents a white bishop.
"q" represents a white queen.
"k" represents a white king.
"p" represents a white pawn.
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restartEnables the player to restart the game.
Selecting y will restart the game, while n will cause player to exit program.
Format: restart
Expected output:
Do you want to restart game? [y/n]
historyDisplays a list of all previous moves in the current game
Format: history
Sample output:
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Move 1: WHITE moves Knight from g8 to f6
Move 2: BLACK moves Pawn from a2 to a4
Move 3: WHITE moves Knight from b8 to c6
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stepbackDisplays the board state as it was a certain number of moves ago. Note that this command does not reverse any moves in the current game.
Format: stepback [number of moves to step back]
Example: stepback 2
Sample output:
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
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(8) | r | n | b | q | k | b | | r | (8)
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(7) | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | (7)
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(6) | | | | | | n | | | (6)
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(5) | | | | | | | | | (5)
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(4) | | | | | | | | | (4)
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(3) | | | | | | | | | (3)
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(2) | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | (2)
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(1) | R | N | B | Q | K | B | N | R | (1)
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(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h)
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Stepped back 2 steps!
Use `show` to see the current board.
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capturedLists each player’s pieces grouped by whether they have been captured or not.
Format: captured
Sample output:
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Player's pieces
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In play:
- Bishop x2
- King
- Knight
- Pawn x7
- Rook x2
Captured:
- Queen
- Knight
- Pawn
CPU's pieces
----------------------------------------
In play:
- Bishop x2
- King
- Queen
- Knight
- Pawn x7
- Rook x2
Captured:
- Knight
- Pawn
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exitExit the ChessMaster application.
Format: exit
Expected Output:
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Exiting program... Thanks for playing!
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Every time a turn ends, ChessMaster will save the current state of the game. When ChessMaster is restarted, the user will be prompted to choose whether to load the saved game or begin a new one. ChessMaster only supports a single saved game, and starting a new one will delete the existing save file.
Tasks data are saved automatically in a text (.txt) file <JAR file location>/data/ChessMaster.txt. Users are welcome to update data directly by editing this data file to achieve a desired game state.
The format of the saved game in the storage file is as follows:
[CURRENT_PLAYER_COLOR] // Either BLACK or WHITE
[GAME_DIFFICULTY] // Integer from 1 to 3
[HUMAN_MOVE_HISTORY] // delimited by ','
[CPU_MOVE_HISTORY] // delimited by ','
Q: How do I transfer my data to another computer?
A: You can navigate to your root folder, and find the file data/ChessMaster.txt. Transfer the file to your other computer,
and find the data folder in the ChessMaster install folder in the other computer. Copy the file into the folder. Start ChessMaster,
and type y when prompted to load a saved game.
Q: How do I play with another person?
A: Currently, ChessMaster does not support multiplayer.
Q: Can we play timed games?
A: ChessMaster does not come with an internal timer. However, you are able to use your own chess timer or stopwatch to simulate timed games.
Q: Can I draw by repeating moves?
A: ChessMaster does not currently support draws by repetition. However, you can use the exit command to end the game. Alternatively, you can maneuver the game to a draw by stalemate, where neither party can move without being in check or there are only kings left on the board.
| Action | Format |
|---|---|
| Move | move [column][row] [column][row] |
| Show moves | moves [column][row] |
| Show board | show |
| Rules | rules |
| Help | help |
| Pieces legend | legend |
| Restart game | restart |
| History | history |
| Step back | stepback [number of steps] |
| List captured pieces | captured |
| Exit | exit |