Play chess in VS Code — against a friend or an offline computer opponent.

A full chess board right inside your editor — real Staunton pieces, multiple themes, and a fast offline opponent. No account, no network, no distractions.

Why Chaturanga

♟️ Two ways to play — face a friend on the same board, or an offline computer opponent.
⚡ Fast, offline engine — the computer responds instantly. Nothing leaves your machine.
🎨 Real pieces, real themes — classic Staunton pieces with five board themes.
🕹️ Full game controls — move history, undo / redo, board flip, and a fullscreen view.
💾 Save & resume — keep games between sessions; import / export PGN and FEN.
🧩 Native feel — lives in the Activity Bar with a sidebar for controls and game info.
🔓 Open source — MIT licensed.

Game Modes

Mode	Description
👥 Play a Friend	Two players share the same board — perfect for a quick game with a colleague.
🤖 Play the Computer	Take on an offline opponent at your chosen difficulty.

Difficulty

Level	Style
🟢 Easy	Quick, casual replies — great for warming up.
🟡 Medium	Looks a little deeper and punishes loose moves.
🔴 Hard	Searches further for a tougher game.

Board Themes & Pieces

🎨 Themes	♟️ Piece Sets
Classic	Classic
Green	Neo
Blue	Alpha
Dark	Wood
Purple

Set your defaults in Settings (see Settings) or switch on the fly from the in-board settings panel.

Screenshots

🤖 Play the Computer

Take on the offline opponent — here mid-game on the green theme.

Play the computer

🌙 Dark Theme

Checkmate on the dark board, with check and last-move highlights.

Dark theme

Installation

Easy Installation

Open Visual Studio Code.
Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X).
Search for Chaturanga.
Click Install.
Open the Chess icon in the Activity Bar.
Click New Game and start playing.

Alternate Installation (Command Palette)

Open the Quick Open bar (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P).
Paste the command below and press Enter:

ext install ToqirAhmad.chaturanga

How to Play

Open the Chess view from the Activity Bar.
Click New Game to open the board.
Use the sidebar to choose a mode (Friend or Computer), set difficulty, and control the game.
Click a piece to see its legal moves, then click a destination square to play.
Use the sidebar (or the shortcuts below) to undo, redo, flip the board, and save your game.

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and search for Chess:

Command	Description
Chess: Open Board	Open the chess board panel.
Chess: New Game	Start a fresh game.
Chess: Flip Board	Flip the board orientation.
Chess: Undo Move	Take back the last move.
Chess: Redo Move	Replay an undone move.
Chess: Resume Game	Resume a saved game.
Chess: Import PGN	Load a game from PGN.
Chess: Export PGN	Export the current game as PGN.
Chess: Copy FEN	Copy the current position as FEN.
Chess: Paste FEN	Load a position from FEN.
Chess: Open Settings	Open the in-board settings panel.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Active while the chess board panel is focused:

Action	Windows / Linux	macOS
New Game	`Ctrl+Alt+N`	`Cmd+Alt+N`
Undo	`Ctrl+Z`	`Cmd+Z`
Redo	`Ctrl+Y`	`Cmd+Shift+Z`
Flip Board	`Ctrl+Alt+F`	`Cmd+Alt+F`
Resume Game	`Ctrl+Alt+R`	`Cmd+Alt+R`

Settings

Setting	Default	Options
`chess.defaultTheme`	`classic`	`classic`, `green`, `blue`, `dark`, `purple`
`chess.defaultPieceSet`	`classic`	`classic`, `neo`, `alpha`, `wood`

Credits

Chess pieces by Colin M.L. Burnett (the "cburnett" set), used under the BSD license.

License

⭐ If you enjoy Chaturanga, please consider leaving a review!

Chaturanga