♟️ GambitAI — AI-Powered Chess Web App

Web app: gambitai.vercel.app

I had developed a simple two-player chess game built in Python + Pygame during my 1st year of college.

GambitAI is a 2-player chess web app where you can play with friends, get coached by Stockfish + Groq AI, and scout opponents using Lichess and Chess.com data.

⚠️ Note: Opponent scouting is powered by the Lichess API which is fully open and free. Chess.com scouting may work partially or not at all as Chess.com does not provide a fully public API and restricts access to most player data.

Features

Game Modes

• Classic 2 Player — play online with a friend via shareable room link, no account needed
• Dice Chess — a random piece is rolled before every move, you must move that piece
• AI Coach Mode — 3 lifelines per game, ask Stockfish + Groq for the best move with a reasoning

AI Features

• Stockfish finds the best move at depth 10
• Groq API(llama-3.1-8b-instant) provides post game analysis and reasoning
• Post-game analysis — full game breakdown streamed word by word after match ends
• Opponent scouting — paste a Lichess/Chess.com profile URL or usernames to get ratings, win/loss stats and an AI scouting report before your game

Technical Highlights

• Real-time multiplayer via WebSockets
• Full chess rules
• Move highlighting and drag & drop board
• AI post-game analysis and reasoning
• Responsive — works on mobile and desktop
• Installable as a PWA — add to homescreen on any phone

Tech Stack

Frontend

Backend

AI & Data

Deployment

Architecture

Player A (Browser) ←── WebSocket ──→ FastAPI Server ←── WebSocket ──→ Player B (Browser)
                                           │
                                    python-chess (rules)
                                    Stockfish (best move)
                                    Groq LLaMA 3 (explanation)
                                    Lichess API (scouting)

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Game Modes Guide

Classic 2 Player

1. Click Classic 2 Player
2. Share the room ID with your opponent via WhatsApp or any messenger
3. They open the link — no account needed
4. Play!

AI Coach Mode

• You get 3 lifelines per game
• Click "Ask Coach" when stuck
• Stockfish finds the best move at depth 10
• Groq explains why in plain english
• Accept or reject — your choice

Dice Chess

• A piece type is randomly rolled before each move
• You must move that piece type
• Auto re-rolls if no legal moves exist

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Run Locally

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• Node.js or Bun
• Groq API key from console.groq.com

Backend

cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# add your GROQ_API_KEY to .env
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

Frontend

cd frontend
bun install
cp .env.example .env
# set VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
bun run dev

Open http://localhost:5173 in two tabs to test multiplayer locally.

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Environment Variables

Backend .env

GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key
FRONTEND_URL=https://your-vercel-app.vercel.app

Frontend .env

VITE_API_URL=https://your-render-app.onrender.com
VITE_WS_URL=wss://your-render-app.onrender.com

Install as App

Android:

1. Open gambitai.vercel.app in Chrome
2. Tap three dots menu → "Add to Home Screen"

iPhone:

1. Open gambitai.vercel.app in Safari
2. Tap Share → "Add to Home Screen"