A multiplayer chess webapp

A multiplayer chess web application built with Next.js and Socket.IO, enabling real-time matchmaking and interactive game sessions.
This app also supports Google OAuth for user authentication and uses Firestore to store user data such as games played, wins, etc.

Trying it out locally

Make sure to have node.js and npm installed.
Then run:

git clone https://github.com/jashith1/chess
cd chess
npm install
npm run dev

You can now navigate to localhost:3000 to try out the game.
Note: npm run dev will run both the front end and websocket server in parallel.

How it works

• WebSockets enable bidirectional communication between the client and server, which is essential for any real-time, multi-user application.
• When a user clicks Find Game, a request is sent to the server.
• The server attempts to match the user with someone already in the queue. If no one is waiting, the user is added to the queue.
• Once a match is found, a game instance is created and relevant details are sent to both clients.
• The clients parse the game data and display the appropriate board and player information.
• When a user makes a move, it is sent to the server for validation. If valid, the move is broadcasted to both clients and rendered on their boards.
• On each move the client also checks for any additional information (such as check, checkmake, etc) and accordingly display the board.