About MadChessLab
A playground for chess variants.
What is this?
MadChessLab is a web app for playing chess variants against a friend on the same device, against a built-in computer opponent, or online against another player in real time. It ships with three rule sets and is built to make adding more straightforward.
Now lttle bit about me. I'm Neil Mathur, and I learned to play chess from my uncle in India when I was 6 years old. While I started playing just for fun, it quickly grew to become a dedicated hobby. I always have fun playing with friends at school and helping them advance. As a solid, tactical player, I've grown to enjoy complex chess puzzles and compositions, and I love using them to help train students. Whether over the board, or online, I always like learning from my mistakes to become a stronger player.
Chess.com Profile
US Chess Rating
Variants
Standard Chess
Not really a variant but Classic chess. Each side moves once per turn. Win by checkmate; draw by stalemate.
Monster King Chess
Black has only a king and three pawns, but moves twice per turn. There is no check — you win by capturing the enemy king outright.
Crazyhouse
Captured pieces switch sides. Instead of a regular move you can drop any piece you have captured onto an empty square. Standard chess rules otherwise apply.
Features
- Built-in computer opponent (alpha-beta AI, three difficulty levels)
- Each side can be set to Human or Computer independently
- Board and piece skins
- Sign in with Google to sync your preferences across devices
- Optional online multiplayer — create a room and share the code
Tech
Built with Next.js 15, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Zustand, and a custom pure-TypeScript chess engine. The AI runs in a Web Worker so the UI stays responsive while the computer thinks. Online play uses Socket.IO with server-side move validation.