Pawns is a feature-rich chess application that lets you play against Stockfish engine,
challenge friends in local or remote p2p play, create custom scenarios, and analyze games.
Game Modes:
- Human vs Human - Play with a friend on the same computer
- Human vs Engine - Challenge Stockfish at adjustable difficulty (0-20)
- Engine vs Engine (E2E) - Watch two chess engines battle it out
- Remote Play (P2P) - Play against a friend over the network with SSL encryption
Visual Customization:
- Multiple piece sets (Celtic, Fantasy, Eyes, Skulls, Spatial, and more)
- Board color themes (Classic, Wood, Green, Blue, Gray, Brown)
- Customizable background color behind the board
- Zoom with Ctrl+Mouse Wheel
- Toggle board markings (rank and file labels)
Time Controls:
- Customizable time controls (1-60 minutes)
- Increment options (0-30 seconds)
- Visual clock display with progress bars
- Time-out detection (flag falls)
- Clock synchronization in remote play
Tools:
- Scenario Builder - Create and save custom board positions
- Save and Load games in .chess format (full state with clocks and difficulty)
- PGN export for sharing games
- Move history with table view in the dock
- Game replay with media-style controls
- Console for engine output and UCI commands
Remote Play:
- SSL-encrypted P2P connection
- Contact list with IP/port storage
- In-game chat
- UPnP port forwarding support
- Resign, draw offer, and stop game functionality
Engine Support:
- Stockfish engine with Skill Level control (0-20)
- GNU Chess engine support (XBoard mode)
- Move validation and position analysis
- Checkmate, stalemate, and draw detection
Audio Feedback:
- Move sounds
- Check notification
- Checkmate sound
- Toggle sound on/off
