Skeleton: https://github.com/EphraimJZimmerman/chess_hackathon_23

About the challenge

The inner workings of a Chess bot's mind are a fascinating realm of computational strategy, where algorithms and calculations replace the complex cognitive processes of a human player. In this unique domain, the quest for creating a "good" or "bad" algorithm becomes an engaging challenge, blending the worlds of research and engineering.

In this Python-driven competition designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, participants embark on a week-long journey to unravel the mysteries of Chess bot intelligence. Equipped with a code skeleton, unit tests, and a captivating twist, they delve deep into the heart of artificial intelligence and chess strategy.

The core question at the heart of this competition is: What makes a Chess bot excel or falter in its decision-making? Participants will explore various facets of this question, including algorithmic efficiency, board evaluation functions, opening book strategies, and endgame techniques. They'll need to balance the delicate trade-off between computational power and strategic depth, striving to strike the perfect equilibrium that defines a "good" algorithm.

Throughout the competition, participants will leverage their programming skills to fine-tune their bots. Participants will experiment with different machine learning methods and heuristics to create a bot that can think many moves ahead and work effieciently in a timely manner. 

Sponsored by Chess.com, this competition will offer a chance for participants to showcase their skills live. After evaluation, the top performing bots will compete in a tournament-style competition, broadcasted live on the Collegiate Chess League Twitch channel.

$1,000 in prizes

• Style and Practice
  Judges will determine that the tournament winners created a fair and acceptable program that doesn't directly copy online resources or public projects. They will also evaluate the solutions and provide feedback on style and method.