BlockChess

BlockChess

BlockChess is a Minecraft plugin that brings competitive chess to your server. Play against other players, challenge the AI, or join the matchmaking queue for ELO-rated matches—all within an intuitive inventory-based GUI.

It is highly recommended to use the custom resource pack that comes up with the plugin I'm not a graphic, i've tried my best to create a simple GUI texture to make chess matches more enjoyable, if you don't like the current GUI's you are free to make your own!

• Link to the resource pack, drag and drop ready for Nexo.

Features

Game Modes

• Player vs. Player: Challenge players directly via invitations.
• Matchmaking System: Join the queue for automatic ELO-based pairing with balanced opponents
• Player vs. Bot: Face off against Fairy-Stockfish AI with 12 adjustable difficulty levels (200-3000+ ELO)

ELO Rating System

• Dynamic Rating: Earn or lose rating based on match results and opponent strength
• Player Titles: Unlock prestigious titles as you improve:
  • SGM (Super Grandmaster) - 2600+ ELO
  • GM (Grandmaster) - 2500+ ELO
  • IM (International Master) - 2400+ ELO
  • NM (National Master) - 2200+ ELO
  • EXPERT - 2000+ ELO
• Statistics Tracking: View detailed stats including games played, wins, losses, draws, and current rating

Gameplay Features

• Intuitive GUI: Click-based interface with visual chessboard in inventory
• Real-Time Updates: Instant move synchronization between players
• Full Chess Rules: Complete implementation including castling, en passant, and pawn promotion
• Draw Offers: Request and accept/decline draws during matches
• Surrender Option: Resign from matches when needed
• Auto-Save Inventory: Player inventories are saved and restored after matches

Matchmaking

• Smart Pairing: Automatically matches players with similar ELO ratings
• Dynamic Range: Search range expands over time to ensure matches are found

Installation

1. Download: Get the latest version of BlockChess from the project's releases page.
2. Install: Place the downloaded .jar file into your server's plugins directory.
3. Stockfish: Download the appropriate Fairy-Stockfish executable for your server's operating system from the Fairy-Stockfish releases page.
4. Configure: Place the Stockfish executable in the plugins/BlockChess directory and ensure the engine.path in the config.yml file is set correctly.
5. Restart: Restart your server to enable the plugin.

Usage

Commands

General Commands:

• /chess - Open the main chess menu GUI
• /chess info <player> - View a player's chess statistics and rating

Player vs Player:

• /chess invite <player> - Invite a player to a chess match
• /chess accept <player> - Accept a chess match invitation
• /chess decline <player> - Decline a chess match invitation

Matchmaking:

• /chess leavequeue - Leave the matchmaking queue

Player vs Bot:

• /chess bot <1-12> - Start a match against the AI (difficulty 1-12)

Admin Commands:

• /chess admin elo set <player> <amount> - Set a player's ELO rating
• /chess admin elo add <player> <amount> - Add ELO to a player's rating
• /chess admin elo remove <player> <amount> - Remove ELO from a player's rating

API Reference

BlockChess does not currently expose a public API for other plugins to use.

Configuration

The config.yml file allows you to configure the following options:

• resourcepack.enabled - (Default: true) Enable or disable the custom resource pack for chess pieces
• engine.path - (Default: plugins/BlockChess/stockfish.exe) Path to the Fairy-Stockfish executable
• bot_gamemode.enabled - (Default: true) Enable or disable the bot gamemode feature

Permissions

BlockChess includes a comprehensive permission system:

Player Permissions (default: true):

• blockchess.use - Open the main chess GUI
• blockchess.info - View player statistics
• blockchess.invite - Invite players to matches
• blockchess.accept - Accept match invitations
• blockchess.decline - Decline match invitations
• blockchess.bot - Play against the AI
• blockchess.leavequeue - Leave matchmaking queue

Admin Permissions (default: op):

• blockchess.admin - Access to all admin commands
• blockchess.admin.elo.set - Set player ELO ratings
• blockchess.admin.elo.add - Add ELO to players
• blockchess.admin.elo.remove - Remove ELO from players
• blockchess.* - All BlockChess permissions

Engine Communication

BlockChess communicates with the chess engine using the Universal Chess Interface (UCI) protocol. This allows the plugin to be compatible with any UCI-compliant chess engine, including the recommended Fairy-Stockfish.

Engine Strength

The bot's strength can be set from level 1 to 12. The simulation of strength is achieved through a combination of UCI parameters, including ELO rating and move time limits.

For levels 1 through 4, the engine's thinking time is artificially limited to simulate a weaker opponent:

• Level 1: 50ms per move
• Level 2: 100ms per move
• Level 3: 150ms per move
• Level 4: 200ms per move

For levels 5 and above, the engine uses the standard game timers (wtime and btime) to manage its thinking time, resulting in stronger play.

Additionally, for levels 1 through 11, the engine's strength is limited by setting the UCI_LimitStrength option to true and providing a specific ELO value. For level 12, UCI_LimitStrength is set to false, allowing the engine to play at its maximum potential.

Here is a breakdown of the ELO rating for each level:

Level	ELO Rating
1	200
2	500
3	820
4	1060
5	1350
6	1600
7	1900
8	2200
9	2500
10	2800
11	3050
12	Max