Mini Chess Game Project

This project is a simple implementation of a mini chess game using Python and Pygame.

Installation

1. Ensure you have Python installed on your system. You can download it from python.org.

2. Install Pygame by running the following command in your terminal:

   pip install pygame
   

3. Clone or download this repository to your local machine.

Running the Game

To run the game, navigate to the project directory in your terminal and run:

python main.py

or

python main3.py

Project Structure

Main Game Files

• main.py: The main script that runs the game loop and handles events. Implements point-and-click chess gameplay with AI support.
• main2.py: Old backup implementation of the main game with drag-and-drop functionality.
• main3.py: Current active version with drag-and-drop functionality, functionally same as main.py.

Core Game Components

• chessboard.py: Contains the ChessBoard class for rendering the chessboard, managing piece positions, and handling board-related operations.
• game_rules.py: Implements the GameRules class that manages game logic, move validation, and game state checks.
• chess_ai.py: Contains the ChessAI class implementing minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning for AI opponents.

Piece Management

• piece.py: Original implementation of chess pieces with basic movement logic.
• piece2.py: Refactored version with improved movement validation and cleaner inheritance structure.

User Interface

• ui/start_menu.py: Implements the StartMenu class for game mode selection and initial setup.
• ui/game_menu.py: Contains the GameMenu class for in-game menu options (save/load/exit).
• ui/status_display.py: Manages the StatusDisplay class for showing game state, moves, and notifications.

Audio

• sounds.py: Contains the SoundManager class for handling game audio effects.
• sounds/: Directory containing audio files:
  • move.wav: Sound effect for piece movement
  • check.wav: Sound effect for check state
  • checkmate.wav: Sound effect for checkmate

Assets

• Pieces/: Directory containing chess piece images
  • ChessPiecesArray.png: Sprite sheet containing all chess piece images

Save System

• saved_game.pkl: Binary file storing saved game states (auto-generated when saving)

Configuration

• .gitignore: Specifies which files Git should ignore

• Important Note: When switching between piece.py and piece2.py, make sure to update the import statement in chessboard.py accordingly.

Next Steps

This project currently only renders the chessboard and has a simple turn-based gameplay loop. Future improvements could include:

• Comparison between algorithms implemented above
• Minor refactoring and performance improvements

Feel free to contribute to this project and expand its functionality!

Documentation

For more information about Pygame and its functions, refer to the official Pygame documentation:

Pygame Documentation