Teaching Tip 1: Move Generator for the Bishop

Challenge students with the following task:

Write a function generate_bishop_moves(board, r, c) that returns all squares reachable by a Bishop, considering obstacles.

SOLUTION
def generate_bishop_moves(board, r, c):
    moves = []
    piece = board[r][c]
    
    # The 4 diagonal directions
    directions = [(-1, -1), (-1, 1), (1, -1), (1, 1)]
    
    for dr, dc in directions:
        new_r, new_c = r + dr, c + dc
        
        while 0 <= new_r <= 7 and 0 <= new_c <= 7:
            destination = board[new_r][new_c]
            
            if destination == ".":
                moves.append((new_r, new_c))
            elif destination.isupper() != piece.isupper():
                moves.append((new_r, new_c))
                break
            else:
                break
            
            new_r += dr
            new_c += dc
    
    return moves

Teaching Tip 2: Total Move Count

Challenge students with the following task:

Given a chessboard, write a function count_total_moves(board, white_turn) that returns the total number of legal moves available for a color.

SOLUTION
def count_total_moves(board, white_turn):
    moves = generate_all_moves(board, white_turn)
    return len(moves)
 
# Test
initial_board = create_board()  # From Chapter 1 function
print(f"Available moves for White: {count_total_moves(initial_board, True)}")
# Output: about 20 moves in the initial position

Teaching Tip 3: Move Simulation

Challenge students with the following task:

Write a function execute_move(board, r1, c1, r2, c2) that returns a NEW board with the move executed, without modifying the original.

SOLUTION
import copy
 
def execute_move(board, r1, c1, r2, c2):
    """
    Execute a move and return a NEW board.
    The original is not modified.
    """
    new_board = copy.deepcopy(board)
    piece = new_board[r1][c1]
    new_board[r2][c2] = piece
    new_board[r1][c1] = '.'
    return new_board
 
# Test
board = create_board()
new_board = execute_move(board, 6, 4, 4, 4)  # e2-e4
print(board[6][4])      # Output: 'P' (original intact)
print(new_board[6][4])  # Output: '.' (move executed)
print(new_board[4][4])  # Output: 'P'

Teaching Tip 4: Find All Pieces Giving Check

Challenge students with the following task:

Write a function pieces_giving_check(board, white_king) that returns a list of coordinates of all pieces that are giving check to the specified King.

SOLUTION
def pieces_giving_check(board, white_king):
    """
    Returns coordinates of all pieces giving check.
    """
    king_pos = find_king(board, white_king)
    if king_pos is None:
        return []
    
    king_r, king_c = king_pos
    attackers = []
    
    for r in range(8):
        for c in range(8):
            piece = board[r][c]
            if piece == '.':
                continue
            # Is it an enemy piece?
            if piece.isupper() == white_king:
                continue
            
            # Can this piece reach the King?
            moves = generate_piece_moves(board, r, c, piece)
            if (king_r, king_c) in moves:
                attackers.append((r, c, piece))
    
    return attackers

Teaching Tip 5: Advanced Position Evaluation

Challenge students with the following task:

Improve the evaluate_position function by adding a bonus for pieces in the center of the board (central squares are more strategic).

SOLUTION
def advanced_evaluate_position(board):
    material_values = {
        'P': 100, 'N': 320, 'B': 330, 'R': 500, 'Q': 900, 'K': 0,
        'p': -100, 'n': -320, 'b': -330, 'r': -500, 'q': -900, 'k': 0
    }
    
    # Bonus for center control
    center_bonus = [
        [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 5, 10, 10, 5, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 10, 20, 20, 10, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 10, 20, 20, 10, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 5, 10, 10, 5, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
        [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
    ]
    
    score = 0
    for r in range(8):
        for c in range(8):
            piece = board[r][c]
            if piece in material_values:
                score += material_values[piece]
                # Add center bonus (positive for white, negative for black)
                if piece.isupper():
                    score += center_bonus[r][c]
                else:
                    score -= center_bonus[r][c]
    
    return score