GUI-Based Java Project

📋 Project Overview

To build a two-player GUI-based Chess game in Java, focusing on game rules, move validation, and an interactive interface. The project helps improve skills in object-oriented programming and GUI development.

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📌 Features

• 🧠 Smart move validation and check/checkmate detection
• 🎨 Customizable GUI using Java Swing
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Local 2-player mode
• ♟️ Accurate piece movement rules
• 💾 Save/load game (if implemented)
• 🧰 Full Chess rule enforcement
• ☕ Interactive GUI using Java Swing
• 💡 Special moves: castling, en passant, promotion
• ☑️ Check and checkmate detection

📸 Screenshots

👨‍💻 Contributors

• Abhishek Pandey – Project Author & Documentation Writer
• Abhyudaya Singh – Game Logic Developer
• Edmund Emmanuel Magori – UI/UX Designer
• Abdulrahman Abdulnasir Hamza – GUI Developer

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✅ 1. 🛠️ Development Setup (2 Marks)

✅ JDK Version

• JDK Version: Java SE Development Kit 17
• Make sure JDK 17 is installed and configured in your environment.
• Download JDK

✅ IDE Used

• IDE: IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2023
• You may also use Eclipse or VS Code with Java extensions.

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✅ 2. ✨ Project Structure (1 Marks)

• The project Structure in already given in a text file CheckMate ## Project Structure.txt

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✅ 3. 🗃️ Database Schema Design (1 Marks)

The project uses a MySQL database to store chess game details and move history.

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✅ 4. 📂 MySQL Tables (1 Marks)

• Game
  Stores the overall game information like player names, winner, and timestamps.

• MoveHistory
  Stores each move made in a game, including notation, origin/destination squares, and timestamps.

• SQL Schema File

The database schema is defined in schema.sql, which includes:

CREATE TABLE Game (...);
CREATE TABLE MoveHistory (...);

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✅ 5. 🌸 JDBC Implementation (3 Marks)

We've successfully implemented JDBC to enable interaction between our Java Chess game and a MySQL database.

• A dedicated DatabaseConnection.java class was created to handle the database connection logic.
• JDBC is used to connect the Java application to a MySQL database (chessdb).
• This connection will support storing and retrieving move history or other game-related data in future extensions.

📄 DatabaseConnection.java Highlights

package com.chess.database;

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.SQLException;

public class DatabaseConnection {
    private static final String URL = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/chessdb";
    private static final String USER = "root";
    private static final String PASSWORD = "yourpassword";

    public static Connection getConnection() throws SQLException {
        return DriverManager.getConnection(URL, USER, PASSWORD);
    }
}

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✅ 6. 🎀 Create Model & DAO (3 Marks)

To manage database interactions cleanly and efficiently, we implemented:

🧩 MoveRecord.java (Model)

• This class represents a single record of a chess move. It includes:
• moveNumber – The sequential number of the move.
• whiteMove – Move made by the White player.
• blackMove – Move made by the Black player.

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✅ 7. 🎨 Aesthetics and UI Design (4 Marks)

• We enhanced the user interface of the Java Chess game to improve usability and visual appeal by:
• Using custom fonts for a cleaner and more modern look.
• Optimizing layouts with appropriate spacing and component alignment.
• Adding colors to differentiate player moves and highlight game states (e.g., check, checkmate).
• Incorporating icons and images for chess pieces and game status indicators.
• Ensuring the UI adapts well to different window sizes for better responsiveness. -These improvements help create a more engaging and intuitive gameplay experience.

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✅ 8. 🥇Component Placement (2 Marks)

• The game GUI components are thoughtfully arranged to ensure clarity and usability:
• All panels and elements (chessboard, move history, taken pieces) are properly aligned using layout managers.
• Consistent spacing and sizing maintain a balanced and clean interface.
• Scroll panes and tables resize gracefully, keeping the move history accessible and readable.
• No major redesign was needed since the existing layout was already well-structured and user-friendly.

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✅ 9. ⌨️ Responsiveness & Accessibility (2 Marks)

• To enhance user experience, we incorporated:
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions (e.g., undo move, restart game) to speed up gameplay.
• Tooltips on buttons and interactive components to guide users intuitively.
• A scalable layout that adjusts gracefully to different window sizes (optional but encouraged).
• These improvements make the game more accessible and user-friendly for a wider audience.

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✅10. ⌨️ Play! Enjoy Guys

• ♟️ Why did the chess player bring a ladder to the game? Because they heard the king was in a high position! 😄
• ♟️ Why don’t chess players ever get locked out of their houses? Because they always have a key square! 😄