Wilted Chess.com Client

A Windows client to connect the Wilted-Chess-Engine to chess.com for testing against bots. This is for testing against chess.com bots only, not for cheating against human players.

Overview

This client uses Microsoft Edge's remote debugging protocol to control your already-logged-in browser via a REST API. Perfect for:

• Using your chess.com membership and premium bots
• Working within organization-managed browser profiles
• Keeping your existing login session

For detailed API documentation, see README-API.md

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• Microsoft Edge browser

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Add Your Chess Engine

Place your UCI chess engine executable(s) in the engines/ directory:

• Wilted Engine (recommended)
• Stockfish
• Any UCI-compatible engine

The client will automatically discover engines in this directory.

3. Start Everything (One Command!)

.\start.ps1

Or equivalently:

npm start

This single command will:

• Close any existing Edge processes
• Launch Edge with debugging enabled on port 9223
• Start the API server on port 3000
• Open the interactive test client

The Edge window will automatically navigate to chess.com. Just log in (if needed), start a game against a bot, and you're ready to use the test client!

When you're done, press Ctrl+C to stop everything cleanly.

Alternative: Run Components Separately

If you need to run components individually:

# Just start Edge with debugging
.\start-edge.ps1

# Just start the API server
npm run start:api

# Just run the test client
npm test

Configuration

Edit config-api.json to customize settings.

Configuration Options:

• apiServer.port - API server port (default: 3000)
• edge.debugPort - Edge debugging port (default: 9223)
• engine.mode - Search mode: "nodes" or "time"
• engine.nodes - Number of nodes to search (when mode is "nodes")
• engine.threads - Number of threads for engine to use

API Endpoints

The API server exposes several endpoints:

Core Endpoints

• GET /health - Server health check
• POST /connect - Connect to Edge instance
• GET /board - Get current FEN and move history
• POST /move - Execute a move (UCI format)
• POST /sync - Detect opponent moves and sync position

Engine Management

• GET /engine/list - List available engines in engines/ folder
• POST /engine/enable - Start a chess engine
• POST /engine/disable - Stop the engine
• POST /engine/config - Configure engine settings
• GET /engine/suggest - Get engine move suggestion

Autoplay

• POST /autoplay/enable - Start automatic engine play
• POST /autoplay/disable - Stop automatic play
• GET /autoplay/status - Check autoplay status

See README-API.md for detailed API documentation.

Project Structure

wilted-chesscom-client/
├── src/
│   ├── api-server.js          # Main API server
│   ├── uci-engine.js          # UCI protocol handler
│   └── test-api.js            # API testing tool
├── engines/                   # Place engine executables here
├── config-api.json            # API configuration
├── start-edge.ps1             # Edge launcher script
├── package.json               # Node.js dependencies
└── README.md                  # This file

Troubleshooting

Edge Won't Start

Make sure Edge is installed in the default location. The script checks:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe
• C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe

Can't Connect to Edge

• Ensure Edge was started with the start-edge.ps1 script
• Check that port 9223 is not blocked by firewall
• Verify Edge is running with: netstat -an | findstr 9223

API Server Won't Start

• Check if port 3000 is already in use
• Try changing the port in config-api.json

Moves Not Executing

• Make sure you're on the correct chess.com page
• Verify the game has started
• Check that you're using UCI format (e.g., "e2e4")

Features

• REST API for move execution
• Full UCI protocol support
• Automatic engine integration
• Multiple engine support
• Auto-play mode
• Board state extraction
• Move history tracking

Limitations

• Windows only
• Requires Microsoft Edge
• Board detection depends on chess.com's DOM structure
• Works best with computer opponents (bots)