web/IMPLEMENTATION_DETAILS.md

Chess UI Implementation Details

Overview

This implementation provides a modern, interactive web UI for the chess engine using React with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS. The UI is designed to be fluid, responsive, and user-friendly, addressing the limitations of the previous Streamlit interface.

Key Features

1. Interactive Chess Board:

   • Pieces can be moved by clicking on the source and destination squares
   • Valid moves are highlighted with green dots
   • Hint moves are highlighted with a light color
   • Last move is animated for better visibility

2. Visual Feedback:

   • Selected pieces are highlighted
   • Legal moves are shown with green dots
   • Hints highlight both source and destination squares
   • Move animations provide visual feedback

3. Game Controls:

   • New Game with configurable options (difficulty, color, time limit)
   • Undo Move functionality
   • Resign option
   • Board theme selection (brown or grey)

4. Game Information:

   • Current game status display
   • Move history tracking
   • Position analysis with evaluation bar
   • Material and positional advantage indicators

Technical Implementation

Components Structure

1. App.tsx: Main application component that organizes the layout
2. ChessBoard.tsx: Handles the chess board rendering and interaction logic
3. GameControls.tsx: Provides game control buttons and options
4. GameInfo.tsx: Displays game status, move history, and analysis

API Integration

The UI communicates with the backend REST API using Axios. The main endpoints used are:

• /game/new: Start a new game with specified options
• /game/move: Make a move on the board
• /game/state: Get current game state
• /game/hint: Get a hint for the current position
• /game/undo: Undo moves
• /game/resign: Resign the current game

Chess Logic

• FEN parsing to render the board state
• Legal move validation through the API
• Piece movement handling
• Game state tracking

Styling

• Tailwind CSS for responsive design
• Custom CSS for chess-specific styling
• Animations for piece movement
• Theme support for different board styles

Asset Usage

The implementation uses the provided chess assets:

• Board squares from both brown and grey themes
• Chess piece images for both black and white pieces

Future Enhancements

1. Drag and Drop: Implement drag-and-drop functionality for piece movement
2. Sound Effects: Add sound effects for moves, captures, and game events
3. Move Notation: Display algebraic notation for moves in the history panel
4. Time Control: Add chess clock functionality
5. Opening Explorer: Integrate an opening book explorer
6. Game Analysis: Enhanced post-game analysis features
7. Local Storage: Save game state to browser storage for resuming games