In this article, We will learn how to draw a Chessboard in Java Swing and AWT. The chessboard should consist of 8 x 8 squares with alternating light and dark colors. Below is the Java code implementing the Chessboard GUI using Java Swing.

Like in the image below:

Code

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class Chessboard extends JFrame {

    public Chessboard() {
        setTitle("Chessboard");
        setSize(400, 400);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setLayout(new GridLayout(8, 8));

        createChessboard();
        setVisible(true);
    }

    private void createChessboard() {
        Color lightColor = new Color(255, 255, 255);  // Light square color (white)
        Color darkColor = new Color(139, 69, 19);     // Dark square color (brown)

        for (int row = 0; row < 8; row++) {
            for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
                JPanel square = new JPanel();
                square.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(50, 50));

                // Set background color based on row and column to create the checkerboard pattern
                if ((row + col) % 2 == 0) {
                    square.setBackground(lightColor);
                } else {
                    square.setBackground(darkColor);
                }

                add(square);
            }
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(Chessboard::new);
    }
}

Explanation about How to draw a Chessboard in Java

1. Setting Up the Frame:
   • The Chessboard in Java class extends JFrame to create the main window.
   • The setTitle and setSize methods set the title and size of the frame.
   • setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE) ensures that the application terminates when the window is closed.
   • setLayout(new GridLayout(8, 8)) configures the frame layout as an 8×8 grid.
2. Creating the Clickable :
   • The createClickableChessboard method generates the graphical representation of the chessboard in Java.
   • Light and dark colors are defined for the squares.
   • A nested loop iterates over each row and column, creating a panel for each square.
   • Buttons are added to the panels, and an action listener is attached to each button.
   • The action listener displays a message indicating the clicked square’s row and column using JOptionPane.
3. Running the Application:
   • The main method invokes the SwingUtilities.invokeLater to run the GUI on the event dispatch thread.

Quick Go Through

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