Checkmate: Chess Streaming App with Betting

Checkmate is a digital platform developed to provide chess enthusiasts with a real-time streaming experience that includes the unique feature of live betting. The app allows users to follow live chess matches, place bets on games, and stay up to date with tournament details. It was developed as part of the "Software Processes and Patterns" course at DTU.

Problem Overview

The goal of Checkmate is to enhance the experience of watching chess by making it more interactive and engaging. By introducing live betting, we aimed to bring excitement to an otherwise calm and strategic game. The project’s key objectives were to:

• Provide real-time chess streaming using the Lichess API.
• Enable users to place live bets on ongoing matches.
• Implement a secure, user-friendly betting system with Stripe API for handling payments.
• Offer detailed statistics on live games and tournaments.

System Architecture

The system uses a client-server model, with Supabase handling data storage and real-time updates. The architecture is built around four main components:

• Lichess API: Provides real-time chess data.
• Supabase: Manages data storage and real-time updates.
• Stripe API: Handles payment processing for user bets.
• Kotlin (Jetpack Compose): Powers the app's front-end for a smooth user experience.

Features and Use Cases

• Live Streaming: Users can stream live chess games in real-time, allowing them to follow matches closely before placing their bets.
• Betting System: The betting feature lets users place bets on live matches, offering choices like betting on a player or a draw.
• Tournament Overview: The app provides an overview of ongoing and upcoming tournaments, including detailed match statistics.
• User Accounts: Each user has an account to track their betting history and manage their funds.

Challenges and Solutions

During the development, we faced several challenges:

• Firebase Migration: Initially, Firebase was used as the backend. However, due to limitations in handling relational data, we migrated to Supabase for better scalability and real-time updates.
• Time Constraints: Implementing features like live streaming and betting took longer than expected, leading to a re-prioritization of certain features like detailed game statistics and tournament views.
• Real-time Updates: The app relies heavily on real-time data for both live game updates and betting. Supabase’s real-time tables and edge functions ensured that users received up-to-date information without polling the server constantly.

Project Management

The team followed Agile development practices, using Scrum for managing sprints and Jira for organizing tasks and epics. We adjusted our goals throughout the project to ensure we delivered a working prototype, focusing on the most valuable features first.

Major Features

1. Live Game Streaming: Users can stream live chess matches, a key feature powered by the Lichess API.
2. Betting on Matches: Users can place bets on live games, with results automatically tracked and payouts handled by Stripe.
3. Detailed Game and Tournament Overview: While not fully completed, this feature will allow users to view in-depth statistics on games and tournaments.

Conclusion

Checkmate successfully brings together chess streaming and betting in one platform, offering users a new way to engage with the sport. While there are additional features still under development, the project demonstrates the potential to make chess more interactive and exciting through digital innovations.