Python Chess Game with Minimax AI (Threaded)

A fully functional Chess game built using Python and Tkinter, featuring:

• Two Player mode
• Single Player mode vs AI (Minimax with Alpha-Beta Pruning)
• Real-time chess clocks
• Threaded AI computation to keep the UI responsive
• Legal move validation and checkmate detection

This project demonstrates game logic, AI algorithms, multithreading, and GUI development in Python.

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Screenshots

Menu

Game Play

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Project Overview

This Chess application allows users to play:

• Player vs Player (local)
• Player vs AI (Minimax-based opponent)

The AI uses:

• Minimax algorithm
• Alpha-Beta pruning
• Material-based board evaluation
• Move ordering for better performance

To ensure smooth gameplay, AI thinking runs in a separate thread, preventing UI freezing.

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Features

• Complete chess board with Unicode pieces
• AI opponent using Minimax + Alpha-Beta pruning
• Threaded AI processing (non-blocking UI)
• 10-minute chess timers for both players
• Legal move validation
• Check & checkmate detection
• Chess.com-style board colors and highlights
• Menu system to select game mode

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How It Works

1. User selects game mode (Two Player / AI)
2. White (lowercase pieces) always starts
3. Legal moves are calculated for selected pieces
4. Game state is updated after every move
5. In AI mode:
   • Board is evaluated using material values
   • Minimax searches the best move up to a fixed depth
   • Alpha-Beta pruning improves efficiency
   • AI move runs in a background thread
6. Game ends on:
   • Checkmate
   • Stalemate
   • Time expiration

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Technologies Used

• Python
• Tkinter (GUI)
• Minimax Algorithm
• Alpha-Beta Pruning
• Multithreading
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

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Project Structure

Python-Chess-AI/
│
├── main.py - Complete chess game & AI logic
├── README.md - Project documentation
└── assets/ - (Optional) icons / screenshots

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Installation & Setup

1️. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Vaishuu-creator/Python-Chess-AI
cd Python-Chess-AI

2️. Run the Game

python main.py

No external libraries required
Python 3.8+ recommended

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How to Play

1. Launch the game
2. Choose Game Mode:
   • Two Player
   • AI Opponent (Minimax)
3. Click a piece to see its legal moves
4. Click a highlighted square to move
5. Watch the clock — each player has 10 minutes
6. Game ends on checkmate, stalemate, or time-out

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Game Rules

• White = lowercase pieces (human player)
• Black = uppercase pieces (AI or second player)
• Standard chess movement rules
• Illegal moves are automatically blocked
• King cannot move into check

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AI Details

Evaluation Function

• Material-based scoring:
  • Pawn = 1
  • Knight/Bishop = 3
  • Rook = 5
  • Queen = 9
  • King = 200

Search Algorithm

• Minimax with Alpha-Beta pruning
• Fixed search depth (configurable)
• Capture-priority move ordering

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Learning Outcomes

• Implementing Minimax AI
• Alpha-Beta pruning optimization
• Chess rules & state validation
• Multithreading in Python GUI apps
• Tkinter canvas-based rendering
• Timer & event-driven programming

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Future Enhancements

• Adjustable AI difficulty levels
• Piece animations
• Move history panel
• Sound effects
• PGN/FEN support
• Online multiplayer

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Author

Vaishali Murugesan

Final Year Computer Technology Student
Aspiring AI / Software Engineer

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