a simple demo using ably realitime API to transmit chess moves.

• go 1.19

go install github.com/ably-labs/chessdemo@latest

This will install the chessdemo in you $(HOME)/go/bin directory.

Alternatively, if you don't have Go installed, you can just grab pre-complied executables for your machine from here.

Otherwise

export ABLY_KEY=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
~/go/bin/chessdemo -name myname -game gameId

If you are the first player in the gameID game, then you play white. If you are the second, you play black. Otherwise you are a spectator.

You can force yourself to be a spectator by usig the -watch flag.

Input can be any move in algebraic notation. or:

• resign
• show which displays the positon in the default browser

Figuring out good moves can be difficult. So why not use the number-crunching power of your computer to do it for you.

To do this, use the -engine flag.

chessdemo -name myname -game gameId -engine stockfish

You can use stockfish (as above) or any UCI compliant chess engine.

To install stockfish on a mac, run

brew install stockfish

On Ubuntu run

sudo apt-get -y install stockfish

% ./chessdemo -name amnon
you are white
Waiting for an opponent to arrive.
Your opponent bill is playing black.
1: e4

 A B C D E F G H
8♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟
6- - - - - - - -
5- - - - - - - -
4- - - - ♙ - - -
3- - - - - - - -
2♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ - ♙ ♙ ♙
1♖ ♘ ♗ ♕ ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖

f6

 A B C D E F G H
8♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ - ♟ ♟
6- - - - - ♟ - -
5- - - - - - - -
4- - - - ♙ - - -
3- - - - - - - -
2♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ - ♙ ♙ ♙
1♖ ♘ ♗ ♕ ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖

2: Nc3

 A B C D E F G H
8♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ - ♟ ♟
6- - - - - ♟ - -
5- - - - - - - -
4- - - - ♙ - - -
3- - ♘ - - - - -
2♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ - ♙ ♙ ♙
1♖ - ♗ ♕ ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖

g5

 A B C D E F G H
8♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ - - ♟
6- - - - - ♟ - -
5- - - - - - ♟ -
4- - - - ♙ - - -
3- - ♘ - - - - -
2♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ - ♙ ♙ ♙
1♖ - ♗ ♕ ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖

3: Qh5

 A B C D E F G H
8♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ - - ♟
6- - - - - ♟ - -
5- - - - - - ♟ ♕
4- - - - ♙ - - -
3- - ♘ - - - - -
2♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ - ♙ ♙ ♙
1♖ - ♗ - ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖


1. e4 f6 2. Nc3 g5 3. Qh5# 1-0

• All players require my Ably API Key
• No way to offer or accept a draw
• clunky user interface
• internally we should use UCI chess notation, rather than algebriac, which is harder to parse, more dependent on context, and not understood by various chess libraries. Algebriac notation should only be used for user interaction.