Chess — Rules & timers

Game mechanics, clock behaviour, reconnect window, and all possible game:over reasons.

Clock

Each player starts with 10 minutes (600 000 ms). The clock counts down only while it's that player's turn. When a player's clock hits zero, game:over fires with reason: "timeout".

Clock values are sent in every game:move:made and timer:update event as playerTimers: { [playerId]: number } (milliseconds remaining). The Timer component syncs automatically.

The AFK timeout (90s idle) is separate from the 10-minute clock. A player can run out of AFK time even if they have plenty of clock time remaining.

Reconnect

When a player disconnects, the server starts a 60-second window. The opponent receives player:disconnected. If the player reconnects within 60 seconds by emitting game:reconnect { playerId }, the game resumes and both players receive game:reconnected. If the window expires, game:over fires with reason: "disconnect".

Pawn promotion

When a pawn reaches rank 8 (white) or rank 1 (black), include promotion in the move payload. The ChessBoard component shows a dialog automatically — if you're handling moves manually, pass the promotion piece.

Value	Piece
`q`	Queen (most common)
`r`	Rook
`b`	Bishop
`n`	Knight

Draw conditions

Draw by agreement: Either player emits game:draw:offer. Opponent accepts with game:draw:accept. game:over fires with reason: "draw by agreement".

Stalemate: No legal moves and not in check. Ends automatically with reason: "stalemate".

Insufficient material: Neither side can force checkmate (e.g. K vs K, K+B vs K). Ends automatically with reason: "draw".

Threefold repetition: Same position occurs three times. Ends automatically with reason: "draw".

50-move rule: 50 consecutive moves with no pawn move or capture. Ends automatically with reason: "draw".

Bot difficulty

Difficulty	Response delay	Strength
`easy`	0.5–1.5s	Makes occasional blunders. Good for beginners.
`medium`	1–3s	Plays solid moves. Misses complex tactics.
`hard`	2–5s	Strong play. Rarely blunders.

game:over — reason reference

reason	winner	Triggered by
`checkmate`	playerId	King is in checkmate — no legal moves to escape.
`resignation`	playerId	Player emitted game:resign.
`timeout`	playerId	Player's 10-minute clock reached 0.
`afk_timeout`	playerId	Player was idle for 90 seconds.
`stalemate`	null	No legal moves, not in check.
`draw`	null	Insufficient material, threefold repetition, or 50-move rule.
`draw by agreement`	null	Both players agreed via game:draw:offer / game:draw:accept.
`disconnect`	playerId	Opponent did not reconnect within 60 seconds.

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