Checkers Game

Project Overview

Developed as a systems programming project, this desktop Checkers game is built with C and the GTK+ graphical toolkit. It implements the full Checkers ruleset with multiple play modes: single-player against an AI opponent, two-player on the same machine, and an AI vs AI spectator mode. The AI uses a minimax algorithm with varying depth for difficulty scaling.

Features

• ✓Classic Checkers gameplay with full rule enforcement — captures, kings, and forced moves
• ✓Single-player mode against an AI opponent
• ✓Two-player mode for competitive local play
• ✓AI vs AI spectator mode for automated gameplay
• ✓Varying AI difficulty levels using minimax with adjustable search depth
• ✓Rich GTK+ graphical interface with board rendering and piece animations

Challenges

• •Implementing a correct and complete Checkers rule engine in C
• •Building a minimax AI that remains responsive at higher difficulty levels
• •Rendering an interactive game board with GTK+ drawing area and event callbacks

Solution

Modeled the board as a 2D array with bitfield flags for piece state. Minimax with alpha-beta pruning keeps the AI responsive at deeper search depths. GTK+ drawing area widget handles all board rendering with mouse event callbacks.

Architecture

Single-process desktop application. A game state struct holds the board, current turn, and scores. GTK+ event callbacks mutate game state and trigger redraws. The AI module runs minimax independently and returns the best move.

Results & Impact

• ✓Fully playable Checkers game with all standard rules enforced
• ✓AI provides a genuine challenge at higher difficulty settings
• ✓GTK+ interface delivers a native desktop experience on Linux