A programming kata is an exercise which helps a programmer hone his skills through practice and repetition.

This article is part of the series Java Tutorial Through Katas.

Fizz Buzz (Easy) – Java 7
Berlin Clock (Easy) – Java 7 and 8
Tennis Game (Easy) – Java 7
Reverse Polish Notation (Medium) – Java 7 and 8

The article assumes that the reader already has experience with Java, that he is familiar with the basic usage of JUnit tests and that he knows how to run them from his favorite IDE (ours is IntelliJ IDEA).

Tests that prove that the solution is correct are displayed below. Recommended way to solve this kata is to use test-driven development approach (write the implementation for the first test, confirm that it passes and move to the next). Once all of the tests pass, the kata can be considered solved.

One possible solution is provided below the tests. Try to solve the kata by yourself first.

Tennis Game

Implement a simple tennis game

Rules:

• Scores from zero to three points are described as “love”, “fifteen”, “thirty”, and “forty” respectively.
• If at least three points have been scored by each side and a player has one more point than his opponent, the score of the game is “advantage” for the player in the lead.
• If at least three points have been scored by each player, and the scores are equal, the score is “deuce”.
• A game is won by the first player to have won at least four points in total and at least two points more than the opponent.

[TESTS]

public class GameTest {

    Player victor;
    Player sarah;
    Game game;

    @Before
    public void beforeGameTest() {
        victor = new Player("Victor");
        sarah = new Player("Sarah");
        game = new Game(victor, sarah);
    }

    @Test
    public void loveShouldBeDescriptionForScore0() {
        Game game = new Game(victor, sarah);
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("love, love")));
    }

    @Test
    public void fifteenShouldBeDescriptionForScore1() {
        sarah.winBall();
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("love, fifteen")));
    }

    @Test
    public void thirtyShouldBeDescriptionForScore2() {
        victor.winBall();
        victor.winBall();
        sarah.winBall();
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("thirty, fifteen")));
    }

    @Test
    public void fortyShouldBeDescriptionForScore3() {
        IntStream.rangeClosed(1, 3).forEach((Integer) -> {
                victor.winBall();
        });
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("forty, love")));
    }

    @Test
    public void advantageShouldBeDescriptionWhenLeastThreePointsHaveNeenScoredByEachSideAndPlayerHasOnePointMoreThanHisOpponent() {
        IntStream.rangeClosed(1, 3).forEach((Integer) -> {
            victor.winBall();
        });
        IntStream.rangeClosed(1, 4).forEach((Integer) -> {
            sarah.winBall();
        });
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("advantage Sarah")));
    }

    @Test
    public void deuceShouldBeDescriptionWhenAtLeastThreePointsHaveBeenScoredByEachPlayerAndTheScoresAreEqual() {
        for(int index = 1; index <= 3; index++) {
            victor.winBall();
        }
        for(int index = 1; index <= 3; index++) {
            sarah.winBall();
        }
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("deuce")));
        victor.winBall();
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is(not("deuce"))));
        sarah.winBall();
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("deuce")));
    }

    @Test
    public void gameShouldBeWonByTheFirstPlayerToHaveWonAtLeastFourPointsInTotalAndWithAtLeastTwoPointsMoreThanTheOpponent() {
        for(int index = 1; index <= 4; index++) {
            victor.winBall();
        }
        for(int index = 1; index <= 3; index++) {
            sarah.winBall();
        }
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is(not("Victor won"))));
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is(not("Sarah won"))));
        victor.winBall();
        assertThat(game, hasProperty("score", is("Victor won")));
    }

}

Test code can be found in the GitHub GameTest.java. Another set of tests (not listed above) can be found in the GitHub PlayerTest.java.

[ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION]

public class Game {

    private Player player1;
    private Player player2;

    public Game(Player player1, Player player2) {
        this.player1 = player1;
        this.player2 = player2;
    }

    public String getScore() {
        if (player1.getScore() >= 3 && player2.getScore() >= 3) {
            if (Math.abs(player2.getScore() - player1.getScore()) >= 2) {
                return getLeadPlayer().getName() + " won";
            } else if (player1.getScore() == player2.getScore()) {
                return "deuce";
            } else {
                return "advantage " + getLeadPlayer().getName();
            }
        } else {
            return player1.getScoreDescription() + ", " + player2.getScoreDescription();
        }
    }

    public Player getLeadPlayer() {
        return (player1.getScore() > player2.getScore()) ? player1 : player2;
    }

}

Java solution code can be found in the Game.java solution. It uses Player class (not listed above) that can be found in the Player.java solution.

What was your solution? Post it as a comment so that we can compare different ways to solve this kata.

Test-Driven Java Development

Test-Driven Java Development book wrote by Alex Garcia and me has been published by Packt Publishing. It was a long, demanding, but very rewarding journey that resulted in a very comprehensive hands-on material for all Java developers interested in learning or improving their TDD skills.

If you liked this article I am sure that you’ll find this book very useful. It contains extensive tutorials, guidelines and exercises for all Java developers eager to learn how to successfully apply TDD practices.

You can download a sample or purchase your own copy directly from Packt or Amazon.