Wisdom Chess is a multiplatform chess engine written in C++20 with multiple front-ends:

• Web: React frontend with WebAssembly chess engine
• Web (QML): Qt QML application compiled to WebAssembly
• Desktop: Qt QML application for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Mobile: Qt QML application for Android
• Console: Command-line interface

🌐 Play online at wisdom-chess.netlify.app

• Full chess engine with move validation and game rules
• Configurable search depth and time limits for engine strength
• Clean, modern user interfaces across all platforms
• WebAssembly for high-performance web chess
• Cross-platform compatibility

• C++ Compiler: GCC, Clang, or MSVC with C++20 support
• CMake: Version 3.20 or higher
• Optional: Qt 6.x for desktop/mobile GUI
• Optional: Emscripten SDK for web version
• Optional: Node.js for React frontend development

The simplest way to try Wisdom Chess:

git clone https://github.com/dmeybohm/wisdom-chess.git
cd wisdom-chess
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build . -j8
./src/wisdom-chess/ui/console/wisdom-chess-console

1. Install Emscripten SDK:

   git clone https://github.com/emscripten-core/emsdk.git
   cd emsdk
   ./emsdk install latest
   ./emsdk activate latest
   source ./emsdk_env.sh

2. Build WebAssembly + React (Integrated):

   mkdir build-web && cd build-web
   emcmake cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
   cmake --build . --target wisdom-chess-react

   This automatically:

   • Builds the WebAssembly chess engine
   • Runs npm install for React dependencies
   • Builds the production React frontend
   • Output is in src/wisdom-chess/ui/react/dist/

3. Development server:

   cmake --build . --target wisdom-chess-react-dev

   Starts development server at http://localhost:5173

1. Install Qt 6.x from qt.io

2. Build with Qt:

   mkdir build-desktop && cd build-desktop
   cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_QT_DIR=~/Qt/6.9.2/gcc_64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
   cmake --build . --target WisdomChessQml
   ./src/wisdom-chess/ui/qml/WisdomChessQml

The Qt QML interface can also be compiled to WebAssembly:

# Setup Emscripten (see web version instructions above)
source ./emsdk_env.sh

mkdir build-qml-wasm && cd build-qml-wasm
emcmake cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_QT_DIR=~/Qt/6.9.2/wasm_multithread -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build . --target WisdomChessQml
# Serve the generated files with a web server

Note: Requires Qt for WebAssembly, which is a separate Qt installation.

Use Qt Creator with Android NDK configured. See Qt Android documentation for setup details.

# Force Qt GUI even if not found (fails if Qt missing)
cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_QML_UI=ON

# Disable Qt GUI completely
cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_QML_UI=OFF

# Enable slow tests for thorough validation
cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_SLOW_TESTS=ON

# Fast tests (runs in seconds)
./src/wisdom-chess/engine/test/fast_tests

# Slow tests (comprehensive, takes longer)
cmake .. -DWISDOM_CHESS_SLOW_TESTS=ON
cmake --build .
./src/wisdom-chess/engine/test/slow_tests

See CLAUDE.md for development guidelines including code style, build instructions, and architecture notes.

Copyright © Dave Meybohm

The chess engine and applications are released under the MIT License.

• Chess piece images: Copyright Colin M.L. Burnett, used under Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0
• UI icons: From Boxicons, used under Creative Commons 4.0