Stickfosh

Stockfish, but worse :)

Overview

This project is a Chess AI built using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. It provides a modular framework for playing chess, allowing both human vs AI and AI vs AI matches. The AI has undergone several iterations, improving its decision-making capabilities through enhancements like alpha-beta pruning, move ordering, iterative deepening, and transposition tables.

Features

• MVC Architecture: The project follows the MVC pattern for clean separation of concerns:
  • Model: Handles chess rules, board state, and AI logic.
  • View: GUI and NoOp (that shows nothing, but is useful for debugging the AIs) rendering options.
  • Controller: Manages interactions between players and the game.
• Multiple AI Versions: Several AI versions with increasing complexity have been implemented.
• AI vs AI Matches: A dedicated mode to watch different AI versions compete.
• Human vs AI Mode: Play against the AI using a graphical interface.
• FEN Support: Load chess positions using FEN notation.
• Performance Testing (Perft): Built-in performance testing for move generation.

AI Iterations

This project has undergone multiple AI improvements, including:

1. v0 Random AI: Selects moves randomly.
2. v1 Pure Minimax: Implements basic minimax search.
3. v2 Alpha-Beta Pruning: Optimizes minimax with pruning.
4. v3 Move Ordering: Prioritizes moves to improve search efficiency.
5. v4 Search Captures: Enhances move ordering by focusing on captures.
6. v5 Better Endgame: Introduces heuristics for endgame play.
7. v6 Iterative Deepening: Dynamically adjusts search depth for better performance.
8. v7 Transposition Tables: Caches board states to reduce redundant computations.

Installation & Usage

Prerequisites

• C++ Compiler (C++17 or later)
• make
• SFML (for GUI rendering)

Build Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/karma-riuk/stickfosh.git
   cd stickfosh
   

2. Create a build directory and compile:

   make stickfosh
   

3. Run the program:

   ./stickfosh
   

Running the Application

Stickfosh provides multiple execution modes, selectable via command-line arguments:

Mode	Description	Example Command
Human vs AI	Play against the AI	./stickfosh --mode human_vs_ai
AI vs AI	Watch two AI versions compete	./stickfosh --mode ai_vs_ai --ai1 v3_AB_ordering --ai2 v6_iterative_deepening
Human vs Human	Manually input moves for both sides	./stickfosh --mode human_vs_human
Perft Testing	Performance test move generation	./stickfosh --mode perft
Custom FEN	Start from a custom position	./stickfosh --mode ai_vs_ai --fen "rnbqkb1r/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 1"

Video Demo

Future Improvements

• Implement opening book for better early-game decisions.
• Enhance evaluation function with more advanced heuristics.
• Introduce neural network-based AI for machine-learning-driven play.
• Introduce Monte-Carlo Tree Search for stochastic driven play.