This repository provides a small JavaScript chess engine that is intended to be
extended through a simple plugin system. A basic web interface is included in
the web/ directory as an example of how the engine can be consumed.
engine/ – standalone engine library that can be imported in browsers or
other JavaScript environments.web/ – minimal GUI built on top of the engine using vanilla JavaScript and
HTML.cli/ – command line interface for quick testing and interactive play.test/ – Node.js test suite covering the engine and CLI.Open web/index.html in a modern browser to play. Moves are validated using the
standard chess rules implemented in the engine. Plugins can hook into the
beforeMove and afterMove events of the ChessEngine class to introduce new
rules or features.
For quick testing on the command line a simple CLI is provided in cli/.
Install dependencies and run moves directly or interactively without touching JavaScript. Moves can
be written in lowercase or uppercase:
node cli/index.js --moves=e2e4,E7E5
node cli/index.js # start interactive mode
In interactive mode you can type help to show available commands and board to
display the full board at any time.
The entire repository is automatically deployed to
GitHub Pages. Any push to the main branch
publishes the demo at https://gekkedev.github.io/ChessEngine/. The entry
point is the web/ directory, which loads the engine from the neighbouring
engine/ folder.
All automated tests must pass before a new version is deployed.
Create an object with beforeMove(engine, piece, move) or afterMove(engine,
piece, move) methods and register it using engine.addPlugin(plugin). Returning
false from beforeMove prevents the move from being made. This mechanism
allows rules such as castling, en passant or custom pieces to be added without
modifying the core engine.
Translations for piece names and basic events such as “check” and “checkmate”
are provided in engine/locales.js. Languages include English, German, French,
Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian and Traditional Chinese. The web interface
preselects the browser language and offers a drop-down selector.
The project uses Node.js’s built-in test runner. Ensure Node.js 18 or newer is installed and run:
npm test
See LICENSE for license information.