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Chess MCP Server

by ibuildthecloud
npmGitHub
TypeScript
Apache 2.0
2
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Chess MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides an interactive chess game experience using MCP-UI. This server exposes chess game functionality through MCP tools and provides a web-based chessboard interface for playing games.

Features

  • ♟️ Full Chess Game: Complete chess implementation using chess.js

  • 🔧 MCP Tools: Chess game actions exposed as MCP tools

  • 🎮 Interactive UI: Web-based chessboard using ChessBoard.js

  • 💾 Game State Management: Persistent game state with session-based saves

Architecture

This MCP server is built using Express.js with integrated MCP capabilities:

Key Components

  • MCP Server (src/server.ts): Main server with chess tools and UI generation

  • Store (src/lib/store.ts): Game state persistence using file system

  • MCP Framework (src/lib/mcp/): Custom MCP middleware implementation with Express integration

MCP Tools Available

  • chess_get_board_state: Get the current state of the chess board with visual representation

  • chess_move: Make a move in standard algebraic notation (e.g., e4, Nf3, O-O) or start a new game

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+

  • npm

Installation

Install the dependencies:

npm install

Development

Start the development server:

npm run dev

The server will be available at:

  • MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/mcp

Development Commands

  • npm run dev - Start development server

Usage

As an MCP Server

The server exposes MCP tools that can be consumed by MCP clients:

// Get current board state { "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "chess_get_board_state", "arguments": {} } } // Make a move { "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "chess_move", "arguments": { "move": "e4" } } } // Start a new game { "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "chess_move", "arguments": { "move": "new" } } }

Interactive Chessboard

When using the MCP tools, each response includes:

  • Text representation: ASCII board and FEN notation with valid moves

  • Interactive UI: Drag-and-drop chessboard that allows moves via mouse interaction

Game Rules

  • Standard chess rules apply

  • Uses chess.js for move validation and game logic

  • Supports all legal chess moves including castling, en passant, and pawn promotion

  • Game state persists per session ID

Project Structure

src/ ├── lib/ │ ├── mcp/ # Custom MCP middleware framework │ │ ├── index.ts # Main exports │ │ ├── middleware.ts # Express middleware integration │ │ ├── header.ts # HTTP header utilities │ │ └── uuid.ts # UUID validation │ └── store.ts # Game state persistence ├── server.ts # Main server with chess tools and UI games/ # Persistent game files (FEN notation)

Game State Persistence

  • Each chess game is saved to a JSON file in the games/ directory

  • Games are identified by MCP session ID

  • Game state is stored as FEN (Forsyth-Edwards Notation) strings

  • Games automatically resume when reconnecting with the same session

Dependencies

  • chess.js: Chess game logic and move validation

  • @chrisoakman/chessboardjs: Interactive chessboard UI

  • @mcp-ui/server: MCP UI resource creation

  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: MCP server implementation

  • express: Web server framework

License

Apache 2.0 License - see LICENSE file for details.

This server cannot be installed

-
security - not tested
A
license - permissive license
-
quality - not tested

How are these scores calculated?

local-only server

The server can only run on the client's local machine because it depends on local resources.

Provides an interactive chess game experience through MCP tools with a web-based chessboard interface. Enables users to play chess games, make moves using standard algebraic notation, and manage persistent game state across sessions.

  1. Features
    1. Architecture
      1. Key Components
      2. MCP Tools Available
    2. Getting Started
      1. Prerequisites
      2. Installation
      3. Development
      4. Development Commands
    3. Usage
      1. As an MCP Server
      2. Interactive Chessboard
    4. Game Rules
      1. Project Structure
        1. Game State Persistence
          1. Dependencies
            1. License

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