CHESS ENGINE
A modular Chess AI engine in C++ with Minimax search, iterative deepening, and an interactive GUI built in Godot Engine.
Overview
A modular Chess AI engine built in C++ supporting Minimax search and iterative deepening evaluation strategies. The project demonstrates strong software engineering practices through object-oriented design, automated testing, and cross-platform GUI development.
AI Engine
Search & Evaluation
The AI engine implements:
- Minimax search with alpha-beta pruning for efficient game tree exploration
- Iterative deepening for time-controlled search depth
- Board evaluation logic using material counting, piece positioning, and strategic heuristics
Move Generation
Efficient move generation and board representation are designed using object-oriented programming principles. The engine handles all standard chess rules including castling, en passant, and pawn promotion.
GUI
An interactive GUI for chess play and AI visualization was built using Godot Engine with a C++ backend and GDScript frontend. This cross-platform approach allows:
- Visual board representation with drag-and-drop piece movement
- AI move visualization
- Game state display and move history
Engineering Practices
- Unit tests validate AI logic, move generation, and ensure code reliability
- Makefiles automate builds and streamline compilation and testing workflows
- Modular architecture separates AI logic, board representation, and UI concerns