Chess Puzzle Simulator

Published on 1 February 2025 at 11:25

Our chess coach provided us a PGN of puzzles to study via Chessbase.  The puzzles are excellent, but studying in Chessbase has limits - specifically Chessbase only tests on the first move and does not playing all moves any variations against you.  Having previously written about using Fritz for opening training, I tried to get Fritz to work, but Fritz only lets you train from the starting position of a game and not from the FEN provided position in the puzzles.  I found other tools online that could do what I need, but I just want something simple that doesn't require a college degree to learn like Chessbase...and I want something that is free.

 

Instead of searching more, I wrote my own puzzle testing tool.  Now, I can just drag and drop a pgn of puzzles onto the tool and click TEST!  Satisfied with this, I found it simple to extend it to also TRAIN an opening where it would show you the move, let you make the move, and then play the other side for you.  This removes the need to configure Fritz to play against you....and it's free!

 

 

 

Chess Puzzle Simulator is a Windows program

Features

  • Drag & Drop PGN with multiple puzzles or games into tool
  • Test or Train on main line or all variations
  • Automatically detects color to play
  • Automatically moves to next puzzle
  • Logs
    • time played in puzzle
    • count of incorrect moves
    • number of variations explored

 

Click below to download the MSI installer or just a zip

  • ChessPuzzleSimulatorSetup.msi
    • MD5: b94429cb7e15748bd18336e57d5bd7a2
    • SHA1: bc51cf318e3e2c84c24f727a3b6b33f4731a296c
    • SHA256: 4b8cbb5d6793d634895917abedeeb7c34949b08740137eccfb201d9fdf826e44
  • ChessPuzzleSimulator094b.zip
    • MD5: 6a1fdd9bd131db98788ca37fe48ce44a
    • SHA1: 56993c5b509f7c993e5cb4cb12c93cab51df8baa
    • SHA256: 2a2b1bbe26b9bc33ae5364ed98468e9563eb35966949d2a5704defe215fdf097

 

Latest version is: 0.9.4b

I have not purchased a code-signing certificate so there may be a popup from Windows during the MSI install.

If there is interest in the tool, I will upgrade the features and add an auto-update.

 

Submit feedback to: chesstools.net@gmail.com

 

How to use the tool?

1. When you first launch the program, it will ask you the standard license.  Click Accept if you want to use the software

 

2. You will then be prompted to set the config file.

 

3. Click Config --> Create Config...

 

4. Choose choose a file for saving the program configuration.  This file stores the path to the PGN's you will load and the log data.  If you reinstall the program and want to restore the config, then choose Load/Open Config to load an existing config file.

 

5. Drag and Drop a PGN onto the tool.  This will place the filename into the left pane.

 

6. Select a PGN file and the PGN Games in the file will show in the middle pane.  Choose a PGN Game and the PGN info will show in the right pane.

 

7. Click TEST PGN Auto Color to start testing on the selected puzzle.  The tool will auto choose the color based on the PGN.  If it chooses incorrectly, you can always click Test as Black or Test as White.

 

8. Click TRAIN PGN Auto Color to have the tool train you on the moves in the PGN.  The tool will show you the move, let you make the move, and then it will make the move for the opposite color.  If you want to choose the color for training, click on Train as White or Train as Black.

 

9. Click Review PGN to browse through the game with the arrow keys.  Press left or right arrow to move through the game.  Once it finishes, it will repeat until all variations are explored.

 

Options

  • All Variations
    This tool is designed to process either the main line or all variations.  When enabled and a puzzle is finished, it will restart and follow a different variation until all variations are completed.
  • Auto Next Puzzle (test only)
    When testing on puzzles this feature will automatically advance the tool to the next puzzle when you successfully complete a puzzle
  • Notify Multi User Move
    When you have multiple correct moves this feature will show an alert on the puzzle indicating more than one correct move it available.  You must complete all correct moves in the variation for the puzzle to be counted as correct.

 

Please send information about bugs or other feedback to chesstools.net@gmail.com

 

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