CASE STUDY

Chess4Play

Real-Time Multiplayer 3D Chess Game with 4-Player Simultaneous Gameplay

70+

Files Created

7,000+

Lines of Code

<50ms

Move Latency

60 FPS

3D Rendering

Chess4Play - Real-Time Multiplayer 3D Chess Game

The Challenge

Traditional chess is limited to 2 players. What if we could bring 4 players together on a single board, add stunning 3D graphics, enable real-time multiplayer, and make it accessible through social login?

That's Chess4Play—a complete full-stack multiplayer game built from scratch with zero compromises on performance, security, or user experience.

Technology Stack

Frontend

React 19 + TypeScript
Three.js + react-three-fiber
Socket.IO Client
🔐Privy (Passwordless Auth)

Backend

Node.js + Express
PostgreSQL
Redis (Upstash)
Socket.IO Server

Key Features

♟️

4-Player Chess

Custom ruleset with elimination mechanics and turn-based rotation

🎮

3D Graphics

60 FPS rendering with Three.js, PBR materials, and studio lighting

Real-Time Multiplayer

WebSocket-based synchronization with <50ms latency

🔐

Passwordless Login

Google, Twitter, Email, and Wallet authentication via Privy

🤖

AI Opponents

Minimax algorithm with 3 difficulty levels (Easy/Medium/Hard)

💬

Live Chat

Real-time messaging with XSS protection and rate limiting

Architecture Deep Dive

Built on a server-authoritative architecture to prevent cheating and ensure fair gameplay.

Real-Time Game Flow

1. Player Makes Move (Client)
   ↓ Socket.IO emit
2. Server Validates Move
   ↓ <5ms
3. Update Redis Cache
   ↓ async
4. Save to PostgreSQL
   ↓ broadcast
5. All 4 Players Re-Render (<50ms total)

Security Architecture

  • Server-side move validation (prevent cheating)
  • JWT authentication for all connections
  • Rate limiting (moves, chat, API calls)
  • Input sanitization (XSS protection)
  • HTTPS/WSS only in production
  • SQL injection prevention (parameterized queries)

Challenges Overcome

4-Player Chess Rules

Problem: No established ruleset for 4-player chess

Solution: Designed custom elimination mechanics, tested with friends, iterated on balance

Coordinate Transformation

Problem: Each player needs different board perspective

Solution: Built mathematical transformation system converting between player perspective and absolute coordinates

WebSocket Stability

Problem: Cloudflare closes WebSocket after 100 seconds

Solution: Implemented ping/pong heartbeat every 25 seconds with 60s timeout

State Synchronization

Problem: Race conditions when 2+ players move simultaneously

Solution: Server-side queue system with atomic operations on Redis

3D Performance on Mobile

Problem: High poly count caused frame drops

Solution: LOD system + geometry instancing + optional 2D mode

Project Gallery

Chess4Play - Epic 4-Player Chess Battles
Chess4Play - 3D Board Gameplay
Chess4Play - Real-Time Features
Chess4Play - Game Architecture

Impact & Results

70+

Files

7,000+

Lines of Code

<50ms

Latency

60 FPS

3D Rendering

Chess4Play demonstrates the full spectrum of modern web development: from 3D graphics rendering to real-time multiplayer synchronization, from passwordless authentication to production deployment. Built with zero compromises on performance, security, or user experience.