Chess Game
University systems course turned into a playable chess engine: graphics, validation, capture, check detection, and a clean object-oriented spine.
[Problem]
This wasn’t a client brief — it was a university systems challenge with higher stakes than “make it compile.” The assignment asked for a desktop chess game that proved you understood OOP, event loops, and game state integrity. Half the class would ship a board that looked fine until pawn promotion. The real test: legal moves, turns, captures, check and checkmate — and architecture you can still explain without sweating.
[Approach]
I modeled the board and pieces as modular classes, enforced move validation at the rules layer, and rendered everything through SFML with event handling that kept input and logic honest. Turn management, capture, and endgame detection weren’t bolted on — they lived in the same structure as the render loop. C++ for control. OOP for sanity. SFML for the tangible board you can actually click.
[Outcome]
A complete desktop chess application with interactive board play, full rule coverage, move validation, captures, check/checkmate detection, and a maintainable OOP architecture. University project on paper — engineering discipline in practice.