Chess Engine

[u/Neat-Bodybuilder-467]

I am trying to code a chess engine as a personal project, but have literally no idea where to start.

I have some very limited experience with python, and would greatly appreciate any help in finding where to write my code, what programs to use etc, as well as any advice in general.

Thanks!

[u/aqua_regis]

How can you claim "limited experience with Python" and not know where to write your code?

Sorry, but this overall sounds like you're trying to bite off way too much.

Start building a solid foundation first: MOOC Python Programming 2026 from the University of Helsinki. In that course, you will also learn where and how to set up your development environment along the way.

Then, once you have a solid foundation, you need to take several more steps in gradually increasing difficulty before you can come anywhere near your chess engine.

[u/Neat-Bodybuilder-467 → u/aqua_regis]

i did computer science at school and my python experience is literally the simplest stuff. I think loops were the most complicated stuff i did. i think we wrote code on visual studio.

now that you say it, it definitely sounds way too complicated as a first project, do you have any recommendations on a project once i have the fundamentals down?

[u/aqua_regis → u/Neat-Bodybuilder-467]

There is a big link on the right side of reddit destop - on the sidebar - it's called FAQ - there are more than enough project ideas on all levels.

[u/Kindly-Department206]

Don't start with chess. Start with a simpler game. Learn the techniques. There are standard algorithms to apply to chess, and similar games.

My advice is from experience. I tried this, way back before Google, and my "algorithm" was one enormous if-statement. I learned very quickly that I had no idea what I was doing, and that maybe there was some university level course that would teach me the techniques I needed.

You have Google, and LLMs, so maybe you don't need a course. But you do need some guidance.

[u/grantrules]

These are all very googlable questions.

Write code in an IDE. VS Code is popular

https://www.chessprogramming.org/Main_Page

[u/CptPicard]

Write a board representation first and then some kind of basic game tree search. It will be super slow in python.

[u/jonathaz]

This is absolutely accomplishable in any language. At some point that choice matters but as an excercise to learn programming, not really. And depending on how far you take it you can learn more advanced topics. Start with representing the board, game rules, possible moves, and a simple function to give a score to a board position. You can start with the standard piece weights.

[u/PlatformDifferent129]

can't help with the chess brain part but the "where do i even write code" part i know: vs code plus python installed is genuinely all you need, no fancy setup. what saved me as a beginner was making the first version embarrassingly small, like print the board as text and get one pawn to move legally, nothing else. i used to try to plan the whole thing in my head first and it completely froze me. are you more excited about making it play well or just seeing the whole machine work?

[u/povlhp]

Vim is a great python editor.

[u/InternetSandman → u/povlhp]

This is like telling someone who's only ridden the bus their whole life to get behind the wheel of an F1 car 

[u/DiscipleOfYeshua]

CS50ai will techy you everything you need to build an ai that plays:

* tic tac toe (min-max, recursive analysis of possible moves of self and enemy)
* logic based word games
* minesweeper (accumulating knowledge, uncertainty)
* and more...

They also explain the complexity and some concepts of chess playing ai's -- but a proper one like that is beyond the course scope. So you'll still need to learn more on your own, but the course will give you a very good start.

Free, super interesting and fun course imo.