⚡ Hijack! Chess

The Soul Capture Chess

An online multiplayer chess variant where captured pieces change color instead of being removed from the board!

⚠️ Note on Loading Speed: This project is hosted on Render's free tier. The server spins down after periods of inactivity to save resources.

If the link doesn't load immediately, please allow about 50-60 seconds for the server to wake up. Thank you for your patience!

🎮 Game Rules

⚡Hijack! follows standard chess rules with one exciting twist:

• When you capture a piece (except with the King), the captured piece changes to your color
• The attacking piece is removed from the board
• Kings capture normally (pieces are removed)

All other chess rules apply: castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate, etc.

✨ Features

• 🌐 Online Multiplayer - Play with friends or random opponents
• 🎲 Matchmaking System - Find random opponents with time control preferences
• ⏱️ Multiple Time Controls - Bullet, Blitz, Rapid, Classical, or No Clock
• 🎨 Customizable Themes - 4 board themes, Light/Dark mode
• 🔄 Rematch System - Challenge your opponent again
• 📊 Live Statistics - See online players and total visits
• 💾 Offline Mode - Play locally on the same device
• 📱 Mobile Support - Play directly from your mobile device

🚀 Quick Start

Play Online (Deployed)

Just visit: [Your Deployed URL] and start playing!

Run Locally

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Start the server:

   npm start

3. Open in browser:

   http://localhost:3000
   

🎯 How to Play Online

Option 1: Play Random

1. Select your time control
2. Click 🎲 Play Random
3. Get matched with an opponent automatically

Option 2: Play with Friends

Player 1 (Host):

1. Click ➕ Create Room
2. Share the Room ID with your friend

Player 2 (Guest):

1. Enter the Room ID
2. Click 🚪 Join Room

Play Offline

Just click 🌼 New Game - no server needed!

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file (see .env.example):

MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
PORT=3000

MongoDB Setup (Optional)

For visitor analytics, set up MongoDB Atlas:

1. Create free account at mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
2. Create M0 Sandbox cluster (free)
3. Get connection string
4. Add to .env or hosting platform environment variables

Note: App works without MongoDB, analytics just won't persist.

🌐 Deployment

Deploy to Render (Free)

1. Push code to GitHub
2. Create new Web Service on Render
3. Connect your GitHub repo
4. Add environment variable: MONGODB_URI
5. Deploy!

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Real-time: Socket.IO (WebSockets)
• Database: MongoDB Atlas (optional)
• Deployment: Render/Railway

📂 Project Structure

Hijack/
├── index.html          # Frontend game UI
├── server.js           # Backend Socket.IO server
├── logo.png            # Game logo
├── package.json        # Dependencies
├── .gitignore          # Git ignore rules
└── README.md           # This file

🎨 Customization

Board Themes

• 🪵 Wood (default)
• 🌿 Green (Chess.com style)
• ♟️ Classic (Black & White)
• 🌊 Waves (Blue)

Time Controls

• No Clock
• 1+0 Bullet
• 3+0, 3+2 Blitz
• 5+0, 5+3 Blitz
• 10+0 Rapid
• 15+10 Rapid
• 30+0 Classical

📜 License

Licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

👨‍💻 Author

Shivansh Singh

• 💼 LinkedIn
• 🐙 GitHub

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Feel free to:

• Report bugs
• Suggest features
• Submit pull requests

🎯 Roadmap

• To be decided...

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Enjoy playing ⚡Hijack! Chess! ⚡♟️