ant your own chess website without building one from scratch? This is the complete source code for a working online chess platform: play against a real chess engine, challenge a friend in real time, or climb a ranked ladder. Built on plain PHP + MySQL — no Node.js, no build pipeline, and no monthly AI API bill, because the chess engine runs right in the visitor's own browser. WHAT YOU GET The full application source code (not a half-finished template), the database schema plus starter data, a web-based installer (upload, fill a form, done), ready-to-import demo data so the site looks populated from day one, and complete HTML documentation you can open straight in a browser. WHY THIS ONE - The AI is free to run forever — no API bill, since it runs in the buyer's own browser, not your server - No Node.js, no WebSocket server, no expensive VPS required — runs on the cheapest PHP shared hosting - Clean, readable custom MVC code, not a heavyweight framework with hundreds of dependencies - A guided web installer — upload, fill a form, live in minutes - Ships with demo data — looks like a real, active site immediately, not an empty database TECH SPEC - Backend: PHP 8.0+, lightweight custom MVC, no Composer/heavy framework - Database: MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+, PDO with prepared statements - Frontend: vanilla JavaScript — no React/Vue, no build step - AI engine: Stockfish, compiled to WebAssembly, runs in a Web Worker - Chess rules/notation: chess.js - Multiplayer sync: AJAX polling, not WebSockets — deliberate, so it runs on ordinary shared hosting - Admin UI: AdminLTE 3 + Bootstrap 4 + Chart.js - Every library is vendored in the source — nothing loads from an external CDN at runtime SERVER REQUIREMENTS - PHP 8.0+, with pdo_mysql, mbstring, openssl, json, and session extensions (on by default almost everywhere) - MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+ - Apache with mod_rewrite (.htaccess included), or Nginx (sample config in the docs) - No Node.js, no Composer, no build step, no cron job needed for anything BEING UPFRONT ABOUT TRADE-OFFS - Multiplayer move validation is client-side (each browser checks legal moves via chess.js); the server validates whose turn it is but doesn't independently re-run full chess legality. Fine for casual/social play — for a cash-prize tournament you'd want server-side validation added. - Multiplayer sync uses polling (roughly 1-2 second delay), not WebSockets — a deliberate trade-off for shared-hosting compatibility over instant push. Good fit for developers/agencies reselling source code, chess club or hobby site owners, coaches wanting a private practice tool, or anyone who wants chess functionality without building it from zero.