Checkers CLI with AI

Status: Work in Progress 🚧

Overview

This project is a command-line implementation of the classical Checkers game. Supports two-player interaction.

This project is being developed with a TDD-first approach and guided by SOLID principles to reinforce skills in clean, modular, and maintainable code.

Current State of the Game

• Interactive CLI: Fully functional game in player vs. player mode.
  Players can view the board, receive prompts for available moves, and input commands to play the game.
• Core Game Mechanics: Implements classic Checkers rules, including capturing moves, chain captures, and king promotions.
• Endgame Detection: Automatically recognizes win conditions (no more moves, no more pieces).

Future Improvements

• AI Integration:

  • Minimax Integration: A Minimax-based AI opponent for P vs. AI, and AI vs. AI gameplay.
  • Alpha Beta Pruning: Optimize Minimax for smarter, faster gameplay.
  • Opening Book and Iterative Deepening (Optional): Add preset opening moves and iterative deepening for endgame strategy.

• Driver and Analysis:

  • Driver Experimentation: Run AI vs. AI simulations to test different heuristic performance.
  • Data Analysis:
    • Use Pandas to aggregate data and Matplotlib to visualize win rates, game lengths, and heuristic effectiveness.
    • Summarize insights and refine configurations based on findings.

• Heuristic Optimization:

  • Enhanced Heuristics: Refine heuristics through driver simulations to identify optimal configurations.
  • Cell-Based Scoring (Optional): Integrate positional scoring (e.g. central control, protected cells) and adjust based on results.

• Game Enhancements (Optional):

  • Redo Moves: Add redo functionality for user experience and testing.
  • Player Configurations: Allow users to customize AI settings (heuristic, lookahead depth, AI vs. AI).

Installation and Usage

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GeorgeMpro/checkersCLIWithAI
   

2. Navigate to the project folder and run the game:

   python3 main.py
   

Running Tests

python3 -m pytest

The tests cover:

• Board and piece functionality (test_board.py)
• Game state and win conditions (test_game_state.py)
• Move generation and validations (test_game_play.py)
• User prompt and input handling (test_user_interaction.py)