Step into the world of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and learn how to build an interactive AI powered agent powered by a fully functional Chess MCP server. We will work through coding up an MCP server, adding graphical elements with MCP-UI, and play a game of chess against an AI opponent.
By the end of this workshop, you'll have created a Chess MCP server that:
- Accepts chess moves in algebraic notation
- Maintains game state across sessions
- Displays the board in ASCII and graphical format
- Allows AI agents (and users) to play interactive chess games
- Provides an interactive chessboard UI with drag-and-drop moves
Prerequisites:
Node.js 20+ installed
Basic TypeScript knowledge
Text editor or IDE
Terminal/command line access
Nanobot installed brew install nanobot-ai/tap/nanobot or download from https://github.com/nanobot-ai/nanobot/releases
Bill Maxwell is a Software Engineer at Obot.ai and a founding engineer of Rancher Labs, where he helped shape the Kubernetes management platform Rancher. He has held roles spanning engineering, SRE, product, and field work—bridging the gap between building systems and helping users succeed with them.
