NowChessSystems/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-24-functional-style-refactor-design.md

Functional Style Refactor Design

Date: 2026-03-24 Scope: MoveValidator.castlingTargets, Renderer.render

Problem

Two functions contain imperative anti-patterns that violate the project's Scala 3 functional style:

1. MoveValidator.castlingTargets — uses return (early exits) and var result with result += mutation.
2. Renderer.render — uses a mutable StringBuilder with nested imperative for loops.

Design

1. MoveValidator.castlingTargets (modules/core/.../logic/MoveValidator.scala)

Change: Replace the two return Set.empty guards with a single if/else expression at the top. Replace var result + result += with two Option.when(...)(...).toSet values combined with ++.

def castlingTargets(ctx: GameContext, color: Color): Set[Square] =
  val rights = ctx.castlingFor(color)
  val rank   = if color == Color.White then Rank.R1 else Rank.R8
  val kingSq = Square(File.E, rank)
  val enemy  = color.opposite

  if !ctx.board.pieceAt(kingSq).contains(Piece(color, PieceType.King)) ||
     GameRules.isInCheck(ctx.board, color) then Set.empty
  else
    val kingsideSq = Option.when(
      rights.kingSide &&
      ctx.board.pieceAt(Square(File.H, rank)).contains(Piece(color, PieceType.Rook)) &&
      List(Square(File.F, rank), Square(File.G, rank)).forall(s => ctx.board.pieceAt(s).isEmpty) &&
      !List(Square(File.F, rank), Square(File.G, rank)).exists(s => isAttackedBy(ctx.board, s, enemy))
    )(Square(File.G, rank))

    val queensideSq = Option.when(
      rights.queenSide &&
      ctx.board.pieceAt(Square(File.A, rank)).contains(Piece(color, PieceType.Rook)) &&
      List(Square(File.B, rank), Square(File.C, rank), Square(File.D, rank)).forall(s => ctx.board.pieceAt(s).isEmpty) &&
      !List(Square(File.D, rank), Square(File.C, rank)).exists(s => isAttackedBy(ctx.board, s, enemy))
    )(Square(File.C, rank))

    kingsideSq.toSet ++ queensideSq.toSet

2. Renderer.render (modules/core/.../view/Renderer.scala)

Change: Replace StringBuilder + nested for loops with nested map/mkString.

def render(board: Board): String =
  val rows = (0 until 8).reverse.map { rank =>
    val cells = (0 until 8).map { file =>
      val sq        = Square(File.values(file), Rank.values(rank))
      val isLightSq = (file + rank) % 2 != 0
      val bgColor   = if isLightSq then AnsiLightSquare else AnsiDarkSquare
      board.pieceAt(sq) match
        case Some(piece) =>
          val fgColor = if piece.color == Color.White then AnsiWhitePiece else AnsiBlackPiece
          s"$bgColor$fgColor ${piece.unicode} $AnsiReset"
        case None =>
          s"$bgColor   $AnsiReset"
    }.mkString
    s"${rank + 1} $cells ${rank + 1}"
  }.mkString("\n")
  s"  a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h\n$rows\n  a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h\n"

Testing

No new tests needed — existing tests cover both functions. Run ./gradlew :modules:core:test to verify green build after changes.