Chess Pro
A complete chess game in Python with its own AI engine you can play against.
The complete version of our chess tutorial: every rule (castling, en passant, promotion, repetition, 50-move rule...), an alpha-beta AI engine with 6 difficulty levels, clocks, PGN/FEN, drag-and-drop UI with arrows and animations, and perft-validated move generation.
Upgrades the free tutorial: How to Make a Chess Game with Pygame in Python
What makes it “Pro”
Everything the tutorial leaves as an exercise, done properly.
Its own chess engine
Negamax alpha-beta, PVS, transposition table, quiescence, null-move pruning and LMR.
Every rule
Castling, en passant, promotion picker, checkmate, stalemate, threefold repetition, 50-move rule, insufficient material.
6 difficulty levels
From Beginner (human-like mistakes) to Master, plus an opening book of 33 real lines.
Modern board UI
Drag & drop or click, legal-move dots, animations, right-click arrows, eval bar.
Clocks & history
3+2, 5+0, 10+0 and 15+10 time controls, a move list in SAN, and history browsing.
PGN & FEN
Save games as PGN, copy the FEN, start from any position, reuse the engine in your code.
Vector pieces & themes
Anti-aliased pieces drawn in code, 4 board themes, synthesized sounds.
Perft-validated
Move generation checked against the standard perft positions; 19 tests in total.
Screenshots
Real, unedited screenshots of the game. Every pixel is drawn by the code you get.
Free tutorial vs. Chess Pro
The tutorial is great for learning the basics. This is the version you'd actually ship.
| Free tutorial | Chess Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules | Basic moves | All rules incl. edge cases |
| Opponent | Another human | AI engine, 6 levels |
| Pieces | Needs downloaded images | Vector pieces drawn in code |
| Notation | — | SAN move list, PGN, FEN |
| Clocks | — | ✓ 4 time controls |
| Undo / hint / flip / arrows | — | ✓ |
| Opening book | — | ✓ 33 lines |
| Tests | — | Perft + rules + tactics (19) |
A peek at the code
Clean, commented, modular Python. Here's the start of chess_pro/engine/search.py:
def _negamax(self, board: Board, depth: int, alpha: int, beta: int, ply: int) -> int:
self.nodes += 1
if self.nodes & 1023 == 0:
self._check_time()
if board.halfmove >= 100 or board.is_repetition(1):
return 0
# mate distance pruning
alpha = max(alpha, -MATE + ply)
beta = min(beta, MATE - ply - 1)
if alpha >= beta:
return alpha
What's inside
- Full source code (≈2,700 lines)
- Standalone engine package you can import
- README with an engine-internals guide
- 19 unit tests incl. perft
- Free updates to this bundle
- License to use it in your own projects
Get all 3 games for $19
The Game Dev Pro Pack includes Chess Pro plus our two other premium games, for $19 instead of $39.
What's in the pack?
FAQ
What do I need to run it?
Python 3.8 or newer and pygame (pip install pygame-ce, or classic pygame). It works on Windows, macOS and Linux. There are no image or sound files to download: everything is generated in code.
How do I get the files after paying?
You're sent straight to your download page, and we email you the link too. The link keeps working, so you can re-download updated versions later. Lost it? Recover your downloads with your email.
Is this beginner-friendly?
If you've followed our free tutorial, yes. The code is split into small, commented modules, and the README walks through the architecture. It's the ideal next step after the tutorial.
Can I use it in my own projects?
Yes. You can modify it, learn from it, and ship your own games built on it, even commercially. The only thing you can't do is redistribute or resell the source code itself.
What if it's not for me?
Email us within 14 days and we'll refund you. No questions asked.
Get Chess Pro now
$15 one-time. Instant download, free updates.
