Games::Checkers - Play the Checkers games
# automatic computer-vus-computer play script use Games::Checkers::Game; my $game = Games::Checkers::Game->new(level => 2); $game->show_board; while ($game->can_move) { $game->sleep(2); $game->show_move($game->choose_move); $game->show_board; } $game->show_result;
# Or the same on a lower level:
# automatic computer-vus-computer play script use Games::Checkers::Constants; use Games::Checkers::Board; use Games::Checkers::BoardTree; my $board = new Games::Checkers::Board; my $color = White; my $num_moves = 0; print $board->dump; while ($board->can_color_move($color)) { sleep(2); # allow 100 moves for each player die "Draw by rules\n" if $num_moves++ == 200; my $board_tree = new Games::Checkers::BoardTree ($board, $color, 2); # think 2 steps ahead my $move = $board_tree->choose_best_move; # or: choose_random_move $board->transform($move); print $move->dump($board), "\n", $board->dump; $color = ($color == White) ? Black : White; } print "\n", ($color == White ? "Black" : "White"), " won.\n";
Games::Checkers is a set of Perl classes implementing the Checkers game play. 17 different national rule variants (and any custom mix of rules) are supported on any arbitrary board sizes. A basic AI heuristics is implemented using the Minimax algorithm. Replay of previously recorded games is supported too.
This package is intended to provide complete infrastructure for interactive and automatic playing and manipulating of Checkers games.
Currently supported checkers/draughts variants (AI and game replay):
* russian * russian_give_away * russian_10x8 (spantsiretti) * international (polish) * english * english_give_away * italian * spanish * argentinian * portuguese * czech * german * thai * pool (american_pool) * brazilian * frisian * canadian * sri_lankian
Currently supported board sizes:
* 4x4, 6x6, 8x10 (just for fun) * 8x8 * 10x8 * 10x10 * 12x12 * 14x14, 16x16 (not too practical)
Note that every variant configures its own board size, but it is made possible to play using any variant rules on different board sizes too, for example Russian Checkers on 12x12 board. Or even construct own rule variants, like: Give-Away International Checkers on the 8x10 board without the requirement to capture maximal amount of pieces.
Currently supported game file formats:
* .pdn files (trying to detect a lot of broken notations too) * .pdn.gz|xz|bz2 files (automatically uncompressed on the fly)
Currently installed scripts:
* pcheckers-auto-play * pcheckers-replay-games
In the future one script pcheckers may be installed that will include:
pcheckers
* automatic AI game play (current script pcheckers-auto-play) * recorded game replay (current script pcheckers-replay-games) * interactive game play of 1 or 2 human players
If SDL perl modules are installed, then the SDL support is automatically detected and activated that replaces the default terminal IO.
The regular checkerboard is comprised of 64 squares of contrasting colors, like black and white. The checker pieces may be red and white in color (or any combination of contrasting colors), usually grooved.
The black board squares are numbered either 1 to 32 or using the chess a1 to h8 notation. The diagram below shows the pieces set up for play, with Black occupying squares 1 to 12 (lines 6 to 8 in the chess notation) and White occupying squares 21 to 32 (lines 1 to 3 in the chess notation).
Chess notation:
+-------------------------------+ 8 |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ | |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 7 | @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 6 |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ | |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 5 | |###| |###| |###| |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 4 |###| |###| |###| |###| | |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 3 | O |###| O |###| O |###| O |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 2 |###| O |###| O |###| O |###| O | |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 1 | O |###| O |###| O |###| O |###| +-------------------------------+ a b c d e f g h
Numerical notation:
1 2 3 4 +-------------------------------+ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ | 4 |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 5| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |###| @ |12 |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 13| |###| |###| |###| |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| |###| |###| |###| O |###| |20 |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 21| O |###| O |###| |###| O |###| |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| |###| O |###| O |###| O |###| O |28 |---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---| 29| O |###| O |###| O |###| O |###| +-------------------------------+ 29 30 31 32
Each player (White and Black) controls its own army of pieces. Pieces move only on dark squares which are numbered. The white pieces always move first in opening the game. For example, suppose White were to open the game by moving the piece on 23 to the square marked 19, like shown above. This would be recorded as 23-19. Or e3-f4 in the chess notation. Another possible notation is ef4.
The goal in the checkers game is either to capture all of the opponent's pieces or to blockade them. If neither player can accomplish the above, the game is a draw.
Starting with White, the players take turns moving one of their own pieces. A 'piece' means either a 'man' (other name is 'pawn') - an ordinary single checker or a 'king' which is what a man becomes if it reaches the last rank (see kings). A man may move one square diagonally only forward - that is, toward the opponent - onto an empty square.
Checkers rules state that captures or 'jumps' are mandatory. If a square diagonally in front of a man is occupied by an opponent's piece, and if the square beyond that piece in the same direction is empty, the man may 'jump' over the opponent's piece and land on the empty square. The opponent's piece is captured and removed from the board.
In some variants, if in the course of single or multiple jumps the man reaches the last rank, becoming a king, the turn shifts to the opponent; no further 'continuation' jump is possible.
When a single piece reaches the last rank of the board by reason of a move, or as the completion of a 'jump', it becomes a king; and that completes the move, or 'jump'.
A king can move in any of the four diagonal directions and skip zero, one or more empty cells, as the limits of the board permit. Similarly, the king can optionally capture exactly one opponent piece at a time during such jump.
In some variants, a king has the same limits as a man (can't skip empty cells), just moves and captures in 4 diagonal directions, as opposed to 2 forward directions.
Games::Checkers Games::Checkers::Board Games::Checkers::Board::_4x4 Games::Checkers::Board::_6x6 Games::Checkers::Board::_8x8 Games::Checkers::Board::_8x10 Games::Checkers::Board::_10x8 Games::Checkers::Board::_10x10 Games::Checkers::Board::_12x12 Games::Checkers::Board::_14x14 Games::Checkers::Board::_16x16 Games::Checkers::BoardTree Games::Checkers::Constants Games::Checkers::CreateMoveList Games::Checkers::DeclareConstant Games::Checkers::ExpandMoveList Games::Checkers::Game Games::Checkers::Iterators Games::Checkers::Move Games::Checkers::MoveConstants Games::Checkers::MoveLocationConstructor Games::Checkers::PDNParser Games::Checkers::Rules Games::Checkers::SDL Games::Checkers::BoardTreeNode Games::Checkers::CountMoveList Games::Checkers::CreateUniqueMove Games::Checkers::CreateVergeMove Games::Checkers::FigureIterator Games::Checkers::LocationIterator
http://migo.sixbit.org/software/pcheckers/
Mikhael Goikhman <migo@freeshell.org>
To install Games::Checkers, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm Games::Checkers
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install Games::Checkers
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.