Chess game in C++

Question

I have written a chess game. No castling or en passant, pawn gets promoted to queen. Game isn't drawn after 50 moves. The AI is a naive minimax implementation.

The chess AI algorithms can be improved, more tricks can be used. Alpha-beta pruning, negimax. But that is not my intent. My goal is not to make a great chess engine.

I would love some feedback on my coding. How the same implementation can be better written. Idioms, conventions, anything that comes to your mind.

I'm greatly thankful.

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <map>
#include <algorithm>

using namespace std;

struct ChessBoard{
    enum class Turn {white, black} turn;
    enum class Piece {king, queen, white_pawn, black_pawn, rook, bishop, knight};
    static map<Piece,int> pieceValues;
    bool show_coordinates = false;

    struct Pos{
        int x,y;
        Pos(const Pos &p, int dx=0, int dy=0){ *this = p; x+=dx; y+=dy;}
        Pos(int _x, int _y){  x=_x; y=_y; }
        bool operator<(const Pos & p) const { return (x < p.x) || (x==p.x && y < p.y); }
        bool operator==(const Pos & p) const { return x==p.x && y==p.y; }
        Pos(){x=-1;y=-1;}
    };

    map<Pos,Piece> white_pieces, black_pieces;
    map<Pos,Piece> & moverPieces(){ return turn == Turn::white ? white_pieces : black_pieces; }
    map<Pos,Piece> & opponentPieces(){ return turn == Turn::white ? black_pieces : white_pieces; }

    void reset(){
        turn = Turn::white;
        white_pieces.clear();
        black_pieces.clear();
        for(int i=1; i < 9; ++i){
            white_pieces[Pos(i,7)]=Piece::white_pawn;
            black_pieces[Pos(i,2)]=Piece::black_pawn;
        }
        int n=1;
        for(auto piece : {Piece::rook,Piece::knight,Piece::bishop,Piece::king}){
            white_pieces[Pos(n,8)]=white_pieces[Pos(9-n,8)]=black_pieces[Pos(n,1)]=black_pieces[Pos(9-n,1)]=piece;
            ++n;
        }
        white_pieces[Pos(4,8)]=black_pieces[Pos(4,1)]=Piece::queen;
    }

    void flipTurn(){ turn = turn == Turn::white? Turn::black : Turn::white; }

    bool makeMove(Pos from, Pos to){
        vector<Pos> allowed = possibleMoves(from);
        if(find(allowed.begin(), allowed.end(), to) == allowed.end())
            return false;
        opponentPieces().erase(to);
        moverPieces()[to]=moverPieces()[from];
        moverPieces().erase(from);
        if((moverPieces()[to]==Piece::white_pawn || moverPieces()[to]==Piece::black_pawn) && (to.y == 1 || to.y == 8))
            moverPieces()[to]=Piece::queen;
        flipTurn();
        return true;
    }

    vector<Pos> possibleMoves(const Pos & from){
        vector<Pos> moves;
        auto isOwn = [&] (int dx, int dy) -> bool { return moverPieces().count(Pos(from,dx,dy));};
        auto isOpponent = [&] (int dx, int dy) -> bool { return opponentPieces().count(Pos(from,dx,dy));};
        auto isInsideBoard = [&] (int dx, int dy) -> bool { Pos p(from,dx,dy); return p.x < 9 && p.x > 0 && p.y < 9 && p.y > 0; };
        auto isFree = [&] (int dx, int dy) -> bool { return !isOwn(dx,dy) && isInsideBoard(dx,dy) && !isOpponent(dx,dy); };

        auto addMove = [&] (int dx, int dy) -> bool {
            if(isFree(dx,dy) || isOpponent(dx,dy)){
                moves.push_back(Pos(from,dx,dy));
                return true;
            }
            return false;
        };

        if(!isOwn(0,0))
            return moves;

        auto moving_piece = moverPieces()[from];
        switch(moving_piece){
            case Piece::white_pawn:
                if(isFree(0,-1)) addMove(0,-1);
                if(isFree(0,-1) && isFree(0,-2) && from.y==7) addMove(0,-2);
                if(isOpponent(-1,-1)) addMove(-1,-1);
                if(isOpponent(1,-1)) addMove(1,-1);
                break;

            case Piece::black_pawn:
                if(isFree(0,1)) addMove(0,1);
                if(isFree(0,1) && isFree(0,2) && from.y==2) addMove(0,2);
                if(isOpponent(-1,1)) addMove(-1,1);
                if(isOpponent(1,1)) addMove(1,1);
                break;

            case Piece::knight:
                addMove(-2,-1); addMove(-2,1); addMove(2,-1); addMove(2,1);
                addMove(-1,-2); addMove(-1,2); addMove(1,-2); addMove(1,2);
                break;

            case Piece::king:
                for(auto dy : {-1,0,1})
                for(auto dx : {-1,0,1})
                addMove(dy,dx);
                break;

            case Piece::queen:
            case Piece::rook:
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(0,n) && !isOpponent(0,n); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(0,-n) && !isOpponent(0,-n); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(n,0) && !isOpponent(n,0); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(-n,0) && !isOpponent(-n,0); ++n);
                if(moving_piece != Piece::queen)
                    break;

            case Piece::bishop:
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(n,n) && !isOpponent(n,n); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(n,-n) && !isOpponent(n,-n); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(-n,n) && !isOpponent(-n,n); ++n);
                for(int n=1; n < 9 && addMove(-n,-n) && !isOpponent(-n,-n); ++n);
                break;
        }

        return moves;
    }

    void printBoard(){
        static map<Piece, char> sprites =
         { {Piece::white_pawn,'P'}, {Piece::black_pawn,'P'}, {Piece::rook,'H'}, {Piece::knight,'F'},
            {Piece::bishop,'I'}, {Piece::king,'K'}, {Piece::queen,'Q'} };
        cout<<endl<<"        1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8   "<<endl;
        cout<<"      _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ";
        for(int y=1; y < 9; ++y){
            if(show_coordinates)
                cout<<endl<<"     |1"<<y<<"   |2"<<y<<"   |3"<<y<<"   |4"<<y<<"   |5"<<y<<"   |6"<<y<<"   |7"<<y<<"   |8"<<y<<"   |";
            else
                cout<<endl<<"     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |";
            cout<<endl<<"  "<<y<<"  ";
            for(int x=1; x < 9; ++x){
                cout<<"|  ";
                if(white_pieces.count(Pos(x,y)))
                    cout<<sprites[white_pieces[Pos(x,y)]];
                else if(black_pieces.count(Pos(x,y)))
                    cout<<(char)tolower(sprites[black_pieces[Pos(x,y)]]);
                else 
                    cout<<" ";
                cout<<"  ";
            }
            cout<<"|  "<<y<<endl<<"     |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|";
        }
        cout<<endl<<endl<<"        1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8   "<<endl<<endl;
    }

    void printHelp(){
        cout<<endl<<"* h: help, q: quit, p: show board, c: toggle show coordinates inside squares"<<endl<<"* Input format: yxyx is from-to coordinates, e.g: 1715 moves (x,y)=(1,7) to (x,y)=(1,5)"<<endl<<endl;
    }

    /* False to exit */
    bool promptInput(){
        string move;
        illegalmove:
        if(turn==Turn::white)
            cout<<"White move: ";
        else
            cout<<"Black move: ";
        if(move == "")
            cin>>move;
        if(move == "q"){
            cout<<"Good bye"<<endl<<endl;
            return false;
        }
        if(move == "?" || move == "h" || move == "help"){
            printHelp();
            move="";
            goto illegalmove;
        }
        if(move == "c"){
            show_coordinates = !show_coordinates;
            printBoard();
            move="";
            goto illegalmove;
        }

        if(move == "p"){
            printBoard();
            move="";
            goto illegalmove;
        }
        Pos from(-1,-1),to(-1,-1);
        if(move.length() == 4){
            from.x = move[0] - '0';
            from.y = move[1] - '0';
            to.x = move[2] - '0';
            to.y = move[3] - '0';
        }
        if(!makeMove(from,to)){
            cout<<"* Illegal move"<<endl;
            move = "";
            goto illegalmove;
        }
        printBoard();
        return true;
    }

    int score(){
        int sumWhite = 0;
        for(auto & p : white_pieces)
            sumWhite += pieceValues[p.second];
        int sumBlack = 0;
        for(auto & p : black_pieces)
            sumBlack += pieceValues[p.second];
        return sumWhite-sumBlack;
    }

    bool hasKing(){
        for(auto & p : moverPieces())
            if(p.second == Piece::king)
                return true;
        return false;
    }

    struct Move{
        Pos from,to;
        int score;
    };

    Move minimax(int depth, bool minimize){
        Move best_move;
        best_move.score = -1000000 + 2000000*minimize;
        if(0 == depth){
            best_move.score = score();
            return best_move;
        }

        for(auto & from : moverPieces()){
            for(auto & to : possibleMoves(from.first)){
                ChessBoard branch = *this;
                branch.makeMove(from.first,to);
                Move option = branch.minimax(depth-1, !minimize);
                if((option.score > best_move.score && !minimize) || (option.score < best_move.score && minimize)){
                    best_move.score = option.score;
                    best_move.from = from.first;
                    best_move.to = to;
                }
            }
        }
        return best_move;
    }

    void AIMove(){
        bool minimize = turn == Turn::black ? true : false;
        Move m = minimax(4,minimize);
        makeMove(m.from,m.to);
        printBoard();
    }
};

map<ChessBoard::Piece,int> ChessBoard::pieceValues {{ChessBoard::Piece::king, 10000},
{ChessBoard::Piece::queen, 9}, {ChessBoard::Piece::black_pawn, 1}, {ChessBoard::Piece::white_pawn, 1},
{ChessBoard::Piece::bishop, 3},{ChessBoard::Piece::knight, 3},{ChessBoard::Piece::rook, 5},};

main(){
    ChessBoard game;
    cout<<endl<<"* Chesscomputer v.0.1"<<endl;
    game.printHelp();
    bool gameon=true;
    while(gameon){
        game.reset();
        string pick_side = "";
        while(pick_side != "b" && pick_side != "w" && pick_side != "q"){
            cout<<endl<<"Play as (b)lack or (w)hite or (q)uit? ";
            cin>>pick_side;
        }
        if(pick_side == "q"){
            cout<<"Good bye."<<endl;
            break;
        }

        if(pick_side == "b")
            game.AIMove();
        else
            game.printBoard();

        while(gameon = game.promptInput()){
            if(!game.hasKing()){
                cout<<"* You are victorious!"<<endl;
                break;
            }
            game.AIMove();
            if(!game.hasKing()){
                cout<<"* You are defeated!"<<endl;
                break;
            }
        }
    }
    return 0;   
}

Vogel612 · Accepted Answer · 2017-08-23 11:18:26Z

This code looks nice to me in terms of readability. I like the fact that I can understand what's going on very quickly thanks to some modularization and informative yet simple variable/function names. There are some things I'd like to point out though in terms of design and coding practices:

Putting using namespace std; on top of the file is often described as bad practice because of possible name conflicts if you decide to use external libraries some day. For many people code is also less readable that way. See this link.
Also, it's a bad habit to pollute global namespace with your functions. It's better to put your code within your own namespace to avoid confusion and possible name clashes.
Another thing you should do is isolating your declarations and putting them in a separate header file, and also move the definitions to cpp file that's distinct from the one where the main() function is. That way it's easier to manage further development.
Make ChessBoard a class instead of struct and use encapsulation. Right now all your methods and variables are public, whereas your variables, like black_pieces and white_pieces, should be private as they are not to be modified directly, but through your class methods, and you should block the possibility of modifying them directly by mistake as it would break your game. Also methods like minimax() are implementation details and are only to be used internally by your class methods, not called directly.
Think of redesigning your class in a way that functions for printing, display and user interaction are separated from the game logic itself and put in a separate class. In other words: follow one class one responsibility principle. One day you may decide to use some GUI library instead of console as an interface, and with the current design you are stuck with the console, so better unchain yourself as soon as possible. It's going to get harder to do this as the project develops.
Use const correctness. That will make your code easier to understand, less error-prone, more usable (working with const objects) and open for additional compiler optimizations. I can see that you use it sometimes, but often forget about it. E.g. in bool makeMove(Pos from, Pos to), none of the parameters is modified, so they should be const. Also it's better to pass them by reference in that particular case to avoid unnecessary copies. Remember that const correctness applies also to range-based for loops, e.g. in your score() method you have this line : for(auto & p : white_pieces), whereas p is not modified, so no reason for it not to be const. The same applies to variables: anything that's to be set once and not changed later should be declared as const - e.g. pieceValues is a good candidate for const variable.
in your score() method you have the sprites variable declared that's static. It would be more readable to simply declare it as a private static member variable, because for now it clutters the function body making it harder to read and confuses people regarding why it's been put here if its contents don't change (also make it const to avoid confusion).
Avoid magic numbers. Use some variable of informative name instead. For example, because of magic numbers it's not clear to me why this line in minimax() looks the way it does:
```
best_move.score = -1000000 + 2000000*minimize; // why these values?
```

It's a matter of taste I guess, but to me this:

static map<Piece, char> sprites =
{ { Piece::white_pawn,'P' },{ Piece::black_pawn,'P' },{ Piece::rook,'H' },{ Piece::knight,'F' },
{ Piece::bishop,'I' },{ Piece::king,'K' },{ Piece::queen,'Q' } };

looks less readable than this:

static const std::map<Piece, char> sprites = { 
    { Piece::white_pawn,'P' },
    { Piece::black_pawn,'P' },
    { Piece::rook,      'H' },
    { Piece::knight,    'F' },
    { Piece::bishop,    'I' },
    { Piece::king,      'K' },
    { Piece::queen,     'Q' } 
};

This way is more human eye friendly - you can quickly visually list and compare values of individual pairs added to the map.

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