Chessmaniia

Master the Classics, Move by Move! 🎯♟️ Learn legendary chess strategies by playing through real grandmaster games!

Comment

Inspiration

Chess is more than just winning—it's about positional awareness and making the best possible move, even in a losing position. Most chess puzzles focus on mate-in-1, mate-in-2, or tactical forks, but real games require resilience. This game teaches players how to convert a losing position, minimize losses, and plan long-term strategies rather than just looking for immediate wins.

What it does

Chessmaniia challenges players with survival-mode chess puzzles, where they must continuously find the best move. It focuses on positional play and strategic decision-making, helping players learn how to turn bad positions into playable ones.

How we built it

  • Frontend: Built with React and integrated with Chessboard.js for board visualization.

  • Backend: Uses Devvit WebView to run on Reddit and fetches puzzles via RapidAPI.

  • Game Logic: Uses Stockfish WASM to validate moves and provide AI insights.

  • UI/UX: Styled with Tailwind CSS for a clean, interactive experience.

Challenges we ran into

  • WebView Issues: Initially, we faced issues with Devvit not loading assets correctly, which required debugging asset paths.

  • CORS Problems: Fetching puzzles from RapidAPI locally caused CORS errors, requiring proper API setup.

  • AI Move Validation: Ensuring the AI played historically accurate moves without deviating too much was a challenge.

  • At the later stages while trying to upload the final app we kept getting a 503 error or playtest couldn't fetch changes. eventually I had to rebuild the app with plain javascript instead of the react version

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully integrating React in Devvit WebView.

  • Implementing a dynamic puzzle difficulty system that increases over time.

  • Adding real-time move validation to ensure users learn proper strategies.

  • Creating an engaging survival mode that teaches players how to improve losing positions.

What we learned

  • How to work with Devvit WebView and manage assets properly.

  • The importance of handling API requests efficiently to ensure smooth gameplay.

  • How to structure dynamic puzzles that progressively challenge players.

What's next for Chessmaniia

  • Leaderboard Integration: Show top Reddit users and their best scores.

  • More Puzzle Variations: Introduce mating nets, defensive play, and tactical resource puzzles.

  • AI Coach Mode: Use Stockfish to analyze mistakes and suggest improvements.

  • Mobile Optimization: Improve touch controls for a better mobile experience.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates