Project
Knights on a Board
An SDL3 framebuffer simulation of the Numberphile \u201cRed & Black Knights\u201d puzzle
Overview
Visualizing a knight-movement puzzle in real time
After watching Numberphile's video on the "Red & Black Knights" problem, I built a native SDL3 framebuffer demo to watch the pattern emerge directly rather than just reason about it on paper.
The program renders a large canvas where multiple colored knight-like agents move according to evolving directional rules, redrawing the framebuffer every step. It's a small, focused systems-graphics project: no game engine, just a raw pixel buffer, SDL3, and a Makefile.
Approach
A raw framebuffer, driven by simple rules
Each agent on the board moves and changes direction based on conditions inspired by the original puzzle, and the resulting pattern is written out frame by frame.
Canvas init → agent movement rules → framebuffer redraw → image export to Output/
Building directly against SDL3 (rather than a higher-level framework) kept the project close to the metal — useful for understanding how pixel buffers, textures, and render loops fit together in a minimal native application.
Gallery
Pattern evolution across runs
SDL3
Rendering engine
C / C++
Implementation language
Multi-agent
Colored knight simulation
Numberphile
Mathematical inspiration
Project details
Timeline
Role
Platform
Tools
Inspiration