Chess Championship 2024 in Python with Chessnut
Chessnut is a lightweight Python package designed to model a chessboard, handle moves, and track the game’s state. Unlike full-fledged chess engines, Chessnut doesn’t include AI for playing games or a graphical interface (GUI). Instead, it focuses on simplicity and utility, making it an excellent tool for studying chess mechanics or integrating with other chess-related applications.
What Is Chessnut?
Chessnut is a minimalistic package for chess enthusiasts and developers who need a straightforward way to:
- Import/export games in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN).
- Generate a list of legal moves for a given board position.
- Validate and apply chess moves (including special moves like en passant and castling).
- Maintain a history of moves and corresponding FEN representations.
With only about 200 lines of code, Chessnut prioritizes simplicity. Its core functionality resides in two primary classes: Board
(used internally) and Game
. This design makes Chessnut easy to use, extend, and integrate into custom projects.
Installing Chessnut
Chessnut is available via PIP, setup.py, or as a standalone module. Below are step-by-step instructions for…