chess/docs/API_REFERENCE.md

API Reference - HTML Chess Game

Table of Contents

1. Core Classes
2. Piece Classes
3. Move System
4. UI Components
5. Utilities
6. Events
7. Data Structures

---

Core Classes

ChessGame

Main game controller that orchestrates all game logic.

Constructor

new ChessGame(config?: GameConfig)

Parameters:

• config (optional): Configuration object
  • autoSave: boolean - Enable automatic saving (default: true)
  • enableTimer: boolean - Enable move timer (default: false)
  • timeControl: number - Time in milliseconds per player

Example:

const game = new ChessGame({
    autoSave: true,
    enableTimer: false
});

Properties

Property	Type	Description
board	Board	The game board instance
currentTurn	'white' | 'black'	Current player's turn
gameState	GameState	Game state manager
status	GameStatus	Current game status
winner	'white' | 'black' | null	Winner if game ended

Methods

makeMove()

Execute a chess move.

makeMove(fromRow: number, fromCol: number, toRow: number, toCol: number): MoveResult

Parameters:

• fromRow: Source row (0-7)
• fromCol: Source column (0-7)
• toRow: Destination row (0-7)
• toCol: Destination column (0-7)

Returns: MoveResult

{
    success: boolean,
    move?: Move,
    error?: string,
    gameStatus?: GameStatus
}

Example:

const result = game.makeMove(6, 4, 4, 4); // e2 to e4
if (result.success) {
    console.log('Move executed:', result.move.notation);
    console.log('Game status:', result.gameStatus);
} else {
    console.error('Invalid move:', result.error);
}

getLegalMoves()

Get all legal moves for a piece.

getLegalMoves(piece: Piece): Position[]

Parameters:

• piece: The piece to get moves for

Returns: Array of legal positions

[
    {row: 4, col: 4},
    {row: 5, col: 4}
]

isInCheck()

Check if a player is in check.

isInCheck(color: Color): boolean

Parameters:

• color: 'white' or 'black'

Returns: true if in check, false otherwise

newGame()

Start a new game.

newGame(): void

Resets the board and game state to initial position.

undo()

Undo the last move.

undo(): boolean

Returns: true if undo successful, false if no moves to undo

redo()

Redo a previously undone move.

redo(): boolean

Returns: true if redo successful, false if no moves to redo

resign()

Current player resigns.

resign(): void

Sets game status to ended with opponent as winner.

offerDraw()

Offer a draw to opponent.

offerDraw(): void

acceptDraw()

Accept a draw offer.

acceptDraw(): void

Sets game status to draw.

---

Board

Manages the chess board state and piece positions.

Constructor

new Board()

Properties

Property	Type	Description
grid	(Piece | null)[][]	8x8 grid of pieces

Methods

getPiece()

Get piece at position.

getPiece(row: number, col: number): Piece | null

setPiece()

Place piece at position.

setPiece(row: number, col: number, piece: Piece | null): void

movePiece()

Move piece from one position to another.

movePiece(fromRow: number, fromCol: number, toRow: number, toCol: number): Piece | null

Returns: Captured piece if any

clone()

Create deep copy of board.

clone(): Board

Returns: New board instance with copied state

setupInitialPosition()

Set up standard chess starting position.

setupInitialPosition(): void

clear()

Remove all pieces from board.

clear(): void

toFEN()

Export board to FEN notation.

toFEN(): string

Returns: FEN string representing board state

Example:

const fen = board.toFEN();
// "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR"

fromFEN()

Import board from FEN notation.

fromFEN(fen: string): void

Parameters:

• fen: FEN notation string

---

GameState

Manages game state, move history, and metadata.

Constructor

new GameState()

Properties

Property	Type	Description
moveHistory	Move[]	Array of all moves
currentMove	number	Current position in history
capturedPieces	CapturedPieces	Captured pieces by color
status	GameStatus	Current game status
enPassantTarget	Position | null	Available en passant target
halfMoveClock	number	Moves since capture/pawn move
fullMoveNumber	number	Full move counter

Methods

recordMove()

Record a move in history.

recordMove(move: Move): void

getLastMove()

Get the most recent move.

getLastMove(): Move | null

undo()

Undo to previous state.

undo(): Move | null

Returns: Undone move or null

redo()

Redo to next state.

redo(): Move | null

Returns: Redone move or null

toFEN()

Export full game state to FEN.

toFEN(board: Board, currentTurn: Color): string

Returns: Complete FEN string

toPGN()

Export game to PGN notation.

toPGN(metadata?: PGNMetadata): string

Parameters:

• metadata (optional): Game metadata
  • event: string
  • site: string
  • date: string
  • white: string
  • black: string
  • result: string

Returns: PGN formatted string

Example:

const pgn = gameState.toPGN({
    event: "Casual Game",
    white: "Player 1",
    black: "Player 2",
    date: "2025.01.22"
});

---

Piece Classes

Piece (Abstract Base Class)

Base class for all chess pieces.

Constructor

new Piece(color: Color, position: Position)

Parameters:

• color: 'white' or 'black'
• position: {row: number, col: number}

Properties

Property	Type	Description
color	'white' | 'black'	Piece color
position	Position	Current position
type	PieceType	Type of piece
hasMoved	boolean	Has piece moved

Methods

getValidMoves()

Get all valid moves (without check validation).

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Returns: Array of valid positions

isValidMove()

Check if move to position is valid.

isValidMove(board: Board, toRow: number, toCol: number): boolean

clone()

Create copy of piece.

clone(): Piece

getSymbol()

Get Unicode symbol for piece.

getSymbol(): string

Returns: Unicode chess symbol (♔, ♕, ♖, etc.)

---

Pawn

Implements pawn-specific movement and rules.

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Special behavior:

• Forward 1 or 2 squares from starting position
• Diagonal captures
• En passant (handled separately)
• Promotion at last rank

Example:

const pawn = new Pawn('white', {row: 6, col: 4});
const moves = pawn.getValidMoves(board);
// [{row: 5, col: 4}, {row: 4, col: 4}] if starting position

---

Knight

Implements knight movement (L-shaped).

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Movement pattern: 2 squares in one direction, 1 square perpendicular

---

Bishop

Implements bishop movement (diagonals).

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Movement pattern: Any number of squares diagonally

---

Rook

Implements rook movement (straight lines).

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Movement pattern: Any number of squares horizontally or vertically

---

Queen

Implements queen movement (rook + bishop).

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Movement pattern: Combination of rook and bishop

---

King

Implements king movement and castling.

Methods

getValidMoves()

getValidMoves(board: Board): Position[]

Movement pattern: One square in any direction

canCastle()

Check if castling is possible.

canCastle(board: Board, side: 'kingside' | 'queenside'): boolean

---

Move System

MoveValidator

Static methods for move validation.

Methods

isMoveLegal()

Validate if move is legal (including check).

static isMoveLegal(
    board: Board,
    piece: Piece,
    toRow: number,
    toCol: number,
    gameState: GameState
): boolean

isKingInCheck()

Check if king is under attack.

static isKingInCheck(board: Board, color: Color): boolean

isCheckmate()

Check if position is checkmate.

static isCheckmate(board: Board, color: Color): boolean

isStalemate()

Check if position is stalemate.

static isStalemate(board: Board, color: Color): boolean

hasAnyLegalMove()

Check if player has any legal moves.

static hasAnyLegalMove(board: Board, color: Color): boolean

---

SpecialMoves

Handles special chess moves.

Methods

canCastle()

Check if castling is legal.

static canCastle(
    board: Board,
    king: King,
    rook: Rook,
    side: 'kingside' | 'queenside'
): boolean

executeCastle()

Execute castling move.

static executeCastle(
    board: Board,
    king: King,
    rook: Rook,
    side: 'kingside' | 'queenside'
): void

canEnPassant()

Check if en passant is legal.

static canEnPassant(
    board: Board,
    pawn: Pawn,
    targetCol: number,
    gameState: GameState
): boolean

executeEnPassant()

Execute en passant capture.

static executeEnPassant(
    board: Board,
    pawn: Pawn,
    targetRow: number,
    targetCol: number
): Piece

Returns: Captured pawn

canPromote()

Check if pawn can be promoted.

static canPromote(pawn: Pawn): boolean

executePiece promotion()

Promote pawn to another piece.

static promote(
    board: Board,
    pawn: Pawn,
    pieceType: 'queen' | 'rook' | 'bishop' | 'knight'
): Piece

Returns: New promoted piece

---

UI Components

BoardRenderer

Renders the chess board to DOM.

Constructor

new BoardRenderer(boardElement: HTMLElement, config?: RendererConfig)

Parameters:

• boardElement: DOM element to render board into
• config (optional):
  • showCoordinates: boolean - Show rank/file labels
  • pieceStyle: 'symbols' | 'images' - Piece rendering style
  • highlightLastMove: boolean - Highlight last move

Methods

renderBoard()

Render complete board state.

renderBoard(board: Board, gameState: GameState): void

highlightMoves()

Highlight legal moves for a piece.

highlightMoves(moves: Position[]): void

clearHighlights()

Remove all move highlights.

clearHighlights(): void

selectSquare()

Select a square.

selectSquare(row: number, col: number): void

deselectSquare()

Deselect current square.

deselectSquare(): void

updateSquare()

Update a single square.

updateSquare(row: number, col: number, piece: Piece | null): void

---

DragDropHandler

Handles drag-and-drop interactions.

Constructor

new DragDropHandler(game: ChessGame, renderer: BoardRenderer)

Methods

enable()

Enable drag-and-drop.

enable(): void

disable()

Disable drag-and-drop.

disable(): void

Events

Emits custom events on board element:

• piece-drag-start: Piece drag started
• piece-drag-over: Piece dragged over square
• piece-drop: Piece dropped
• piece-drag-end: Drag ended

---

UIController

Manages all UI state and interactions.

Constructor

new UIController(game: ChessGame)

Methods

init()

Initialize UI components.

init(): void

updateGameStatus()

Update game status display.

updateGameStatus(status: GameStatus, message?: string): void

showPromotionDialog()

Show pawn promotion piece selection.

showPromotionDialog(callback: (pieceType: PieceType) => void): void

updateMoveHistory()

Update move history display.

updateMoveHistory(moves: Move[]): void

updateCapturedPieces()

Update captured pieces display.

updateCapturedPieces(captured: CapturedPieces): void

---

Utilities

Notation

Chess notation utilities.

Methods

positionToAlgebraic()

Convert position to algebraic notation.

static positionToAlgebraic(row: number, col: number): string

Example:

positionToAlgebraic(7, 4); // "e1"
positionToAlgebraic(0, 0); // "a8"

algebraicToPosition()

Convert algebraic notation to position.

static algebraicToPosition(notation: string): Position

Example:

algebraicToPosition("e4"); // {row: 4, col: 4}

moveToNotation()

Convert move to standard notation.

static moveToNotation(move: Move, board: Board): string

Example:

moveToNotation(move, board); // "Nf3", "Qxe5+", "O-O", etc.

---

Storage

LocalStorage wrapper for game persistence.

Methods

save()

Save game state.

static save(game: ChessGame, slotName: string = 'auto'): void

load()

Load game state.

static load(slotName: string = 'auto'): SavedGame | null

Returns:

{
    fen: string,
    pgn: string,
    timestamp: number
}

list()

List all saved games.

static list(): string[]

Returns: Array of save slot names

delete()

Delete saved game.

static delete(slotName: string): void

---

Events

Game Events

The ChessGame instance emits events via EventTarget interface.

Available Events

move

Fired when a move is made.

game.addEventListener('move', (event) => {
    console.log('Move:', event.detail.move);
    console.log('Result:', event.detail.result);
});

Event Detail:

{
    move: Move,
    result: MoveResult
}

check

Fired when a king is in check.

game.addEventListener('check', (event) => {
    console.log('King in check:', event.detail.color);
});

checkmate

Fired when checkmate occurs.

game.addEventListener('checkmate', (event) => {
    console.log('Winner:', event.detail.winner);
});

stalemate

Fired when stalemate occurs.

game.addEventListener('stalemate', () => {
    console.log('Game ended in stalemate');
});

promotion

Fired when pawn promotion is available.

game.addEventListener('promotion', (event) => {
    // Show promotion dialog
    showPromotionDialog(event.detail.pawn);
});

---

Data Structures

Types

type Color = 'white' | 'black';

type PieceType = 'pawn' | 'knight' | 'bishop' | 'rook' | 'queen' | 'king';

type GameStatus = 'active' | 'check' | 'checkmate' | 'stalemate' | 'draw' | 'resigned';

interface Position {
    row: number; // 0-7
    col: number; // 0-7
}

interface Move {
    from: Position;
    to: Position;
    piece: Piece;
    captured?: Piece;
    notation: string;
    special?: 'castle-kingside' | 'castle-queenside' | 'en-passant' | 'promotion';
    promotedTo?: PieceType;
    timestamp: number;
}

interface MoveResult {
    success: boolean;
    move?: Move;
    error?: string;
    gameStatus?: GameStatus;
}

interface CapturedPieces {
    white: Piece[];
    black: Piece[];
}

interface GameConfig {
    autoSave?: boolean;
    enableTimer?: boolean;
    timeControl?: number;
}

interface RendererConfig {
    showCoordinates?: boolean;
    pieceStyle?: 'symbols' | 'images';
    highlightLastMove?: boolean;
}

interface PGNMetadata {
    event?: string;
    site?: string;
    date?: string;
    white?: string;
    black?: string;
    result?: string;
}

interface SavedGame {
    fen: string;
    pgn: string;
    timestamp: number;
}

---

Usage Examples

Basic Game Setup

import { ChessGame } from './js/game/ChessGame.js';
import { UIController } from './js/ui/UIController.js';

// Create game instance
const game = new ChessGame({
    autoSave: true
});

// Initialize UI
const ui = new UIController(game);
ui.init();

// Listen for game events
game.addEventListener('move', (e) => {
    console.log('Move made:', e.detail.move.notation);
});

game.addEventListener('checkmate', (e) => {
    alert(`Checkmate! ${e.detail.winner} wins!`);
});

Making Moves Programmatically

// Make a move
const result = game.makeMove(6, 4, 4, 4); // e2 to e4

if (result.success) {
    console.log('Move successful');
    if (result.gameStatus === 'check') {
        console.log('Check!');
    }
} else {
    console.error('Invalid move:', result.error);
}

Save and Load

// Save game
GameStorage.save(game.gameState, game.board);

// Load game
const saved = GameStorage.load();
if (saved) {
    game.gameState.fromFEN(saved.fen);
}

Custom Event Handling

// Handle piece promotion
game.addEventListener('promotion', (event) => {
    const pawn = event.detail.pawn;

    // Show UI dialog
    ui.showPromotionDialog((pieceType) => {
        SpecialMoves.promote(game.board, pawn, pieceType);
    });
});

---

Error Handling

All methods that can fail return result objects or throw descriptive errors:

try {
    const result = game.makeMove(6, 4, 4, 4);
    if (!result.success) {
        console.error('Move failed:', result.error);
        // Possible errors:
        // - "No piece at source position"
        // - "Not your turn"
        // - "Invalid move for this piece"
        // - "Move would leave king in check"
    }
} catch (error) {
    console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
}

---

Performance Considerations

• Move Validation: Cached when possible, invalidated on board changes
• Board Cloning: Deep copy only when necessary (undo/check simulation)
• DOM Updates: Batched and debounced to minimize reflows
• Event Handling: Use event delegation for board squares

---

Browser Compatibility

Minimum requirements:

• ES6+ support
• Drag and Drop API
• LocalStorage API
• CSS Grid

Supported browsers:

• Chrome 60+
• Firefox 54+
• Safari 10.1+
• Edge 79+

---

For implementation examples, see IMPLEMENTATION_GUIDE.md