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Getting Started

Welcome to the chess-tui documentation!​

Chess-tui is a simple chess game you can play from your terminal. It supports local 2 players mode, online multiplayer, playing against any UCI compatible chess engine, Lichess integration, custom skins and more!

This documentation will guide you through the different features of the game, how to install it, and the code architecture of the project if you want to contribute.

Quick Install​

Homebrew:

brew install thomas-mauran/tap/chess-tui

Debian/Ubuntu:

DEB_URL=$(curl -s "https://api.github.com/repos/thomas-mauran/chess-tui/releases/latest" | jq -r '.assets[] | select(.name | endswith(".deb")) | .browser_download_url') && curl -LO "$DEB_URL" && sudo dpkg -i "$(basename "$DEB_URL")" && sudo apt-get install -f

Cargo:

cargo install chess-tui

For installation via package managers or other methods, see the Installation Guide.

Game Controls​

Basic Controls​

  • Arrow keys or h/j/k/l: Move the cursor (you can also use the mouse)
  • Space: Select a piece
  • Esc: Deselect a piece or hide popups
  • ?: Show help menu with all controls
  • q: Quit the game
  • b: Go to the home menu / reset the game
  • s: Cycle through available skins
  • r: Restart the current game (solo mode only)
  • p/P: Navigate to previous position in history (solo mode only, not in puzzle mode)
  • n/N: Navigate to next position in history (solo mode only, not in puzzle mode)
  • t/T: Show hint in puzzle mode (select the piece to move)
  • Ctrl + or Ctrl -: Zoom in or out to adjust piece sizes (may differ in certain terminals)

Color Codes​

  • Blue cell: Your cursor
  • Green cell: Selected piece
  • Purple cell: The king is getting checked
  • Grey cell: Available cells for the selected piece

Press ? during gameplay to see all available controls in the help menu.