Chess Arena

Built because we got tired of playing on Chess.com.

https://chess-arena-ten.vercel.app/

vodapellithrilok — my Chess.com id If anyone wants to play, just send me a challenge. ♟️

use pc for better experience of ui

This isn't another Chess.com clone. It's a real-time PvP chess platform built from scratch — because cloning Chess.com is boring and the original is overrated.

Why This Is Better Than Chess.com

• No subscriptions. Play unlimited PvP matches for free. No premium tier, no paywalled features.
• No ads, no tracking, no bloat. Just chess. The board, the clock, your opponent.
• **Distributed by design.**your games are stored across multiple nodes — no single point of failure.
• Serverless first.
• Clean, dark UI. No flashing banners, no distraction. Focus on the game.
• Your data, your rules. Open-source and self-hostable. you can play with ai and also play with your friends

Getting Started

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Fill in your Clerk keys and YugabyteDB credentials

# Run development server
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

Architecture

src/app/api/          → Serverless API routes (matches, challenges, social, auth)
src/app/arena/        → Live PvP chess arena with REST polling
src/app/profile/      → User profile, match history, social features
src/app/academy/      → Learning portal (tactics, openings, endgames, video lessons)
src/lib/              → Database singleton pool, migrations
src/hooks/            → React hooks (useSocial, useGame)

No Socket.IO, no Express server. Both players see moves in real-time without page refresh.

License

MIT