BoardBlitz

Landing
Q usage
Finished game
Game history

Inspiration

Chess has stood the test of time as a game that challenges intellect, strategy, and foresight. With the rise of online multiplayer platforms, we saw an opportunity to modernize this classic game while enhancing its accessibility and interactivity. The idea of creating BoardBlitz, an online multiplayer chess app, was born out of a passion for blending tradition with technology, creating a seamless platform for friends to connect and compete.

What it does

BoardBlitz is an online multiplayer chess app that allows users to play live games with their friends. The platform ensures real-time gameplay using socket.io, providing a smooth and lag-free experience. Players can invite friends and enjoy features like:

Play chess with a friend in real-time.
Allow other friends to spectate the ongoing game.
Chat with your opponent and spectators while playing.
Save game records for later review.
Review saved records as though you were experiencing the game in real-time.

The app is designed to bring the joy of chess to anyone, anywhere.

How we built it

To bring BoardBlitz to life, we leveraged several cutting-edge technologies and AWS services:

Amazon Q Developer

Helped eliminate tedious tasks like fixing bugs and code optimization, allowing us to focus on higher-value tasks.
Used the /dev command heavily to assist in writing robust tests for the application, ensuring high-quality code. We also used it to suggest code for features we had no idea how to implement although we knew what we wanted. Using Amazon Q helped refine our ideas and write good maintainable code. We also used it to debug issues in our code especially when the tests were not running. Although simple, the code for uploading images to our S3 bucket was written entirely by Q, making it easier for us as we had never done that before.
Accelerated our software development life cycle (SDLC) by offering interactive step-by-step instructions and expert recommendations directly in our IDE.

AWS EC2

We hosted our server on AWS EC2, configuring it with Nginx as a reverse proxy to handle incoming requests efficiently. This setup ensured seamless real-time gameplay and reliable server performance.

AWS S3

Used to securely store user-generated content like avatars and game logs, providing quick and scalable access to these assets.

Amazon RDS Database

Implemented AWS RDS for storing user data, game history, and match statistics. This ensured data consistency and optimized performance, even with concurrent user access.

Frontend

The frontend was built using Next.js, which allowed us to create a highly responsive and dynamic interface. Tailwind CSS was utilized for styling, enabling quick and consistent UI design.

Backend

The backend was developed with Express.js, handling server logic and API integrations effectively. Real-time functionality was powered by Socket.io, ensuring synchronized gameplay and chat between users.

Challenges we ran into

Building BoardBlitz came with its fair share of challenges:

Real-time synchronization: Ensuring consistent and synchronized gameplay between players required optimizing socket.io and managing edge cases like dropped connections.
AI integration: Learning to maximize the potential of Amazon Q Developer’s features while keeping the workflow efficient took some trial and error.
Scaling the infrastructure: Configuring AWS EC2 with Nginx was a learning curve that we eventually overcame with much research and AI help.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully integrating Amazon Q Developer’s capabilities into our development process, which significantly boosted productivity.
Learning more about SSH and servers
Deploying a scalable and secure architecture using AWS services.
Building a simple yet engaging and visually appealing interface that enhances the user experience.

What we learned

The versatility of Amazon Q Developer in streamlining development workflows and enhancing collaboration.
Deep insights into AWS services, particularly EC2, S3, and RDS, and their role in building scalable applications.
The importance of robust testing and real-time debugging to ensure a flawless multiplayer experience.
How to set up socket.io for real-time communication in a gaming application.

What's next for BoardBlitz

The journey doesn’t stop here. Here are some of the exciting features and improvements we’re planning:

AI-powered coaching: Integrate AI to suggest moves and strategies based on player performance.
Tournament mode: Allow players to host and participate in online tournaments.
Cross-platform support: Expand to mobile platforms for a wider reach.
Enhanced analytics: Provide players with detailed game statistics and performance insights.
Customization options: Enable users to customize boards, pieces, and themes.