Methods and apparatus for chess instruction

1. A method of computer-generating instructional chess puzzles from game moves from one or more chess games recorded in a database comprising:

(a) instructing a chess engine analyzer to give a ranked score for each game move and maintain said ranked scores in a table in the database;

(b) instructing a chess engine analyzer to obtain the top ranked move for each game move and maintain said top ranked moves in a table in the database;

(c) instructing the chess engine analyzer to obtain the score for the top ranked move for each game move and maintain said scores in a table in the database;

(d) instructing the chess engine to obtain the subsequent ranked moves for the top ranked move for each game move and maintain a table of such subsequent ranked moves in a table in the database;

(e) instructing the chess engine analyzer to obtain a score for the subsequent ranked moves and maintain said scores in a table in the database;

(f) instructing the chess engine analyzer to obtain alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and maintain a table of such alternative ranked moves in the database;

(g) instructing the chess engine analyzer to obtain a score for the alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and maintain a table of such scores in the database;

(h) computer-generating instructional puzzles from information in the database including the tables created by instructing the chess analyzer according to (f) and (g) above.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting for instructional puzzles those game moves that have subsequent ranked moves that lead to an event within a plurality of moves.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a sub-set of game moves as candidate instructional puzzle moves; and

selecting from the sub-set of such game moves those game moves that have subsequent ranked moves that leads to an event within a plurality of moves.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing accessible commentary relative to the solution of an instructional puzzle from information in the database including the tables created by instructing the chess analyzer according to (f) and (g) above.

5. A computer-executed method of creating instructional chess puzzles from one or more chess game records, comprising:

creating a database of information from the chess game records of one or more chess games using a chess engine analyzer program;

generating instructional chess puzzles from the information in said database wherein said puzzles have a starting position of a plurality of chess pieces on a chess board that constitutes the beginning of the puzzle and a final position of chess pieces on the board that constitutes the solution to said puzzle which solution is achieved by making a plurality of correct chess piece moves,

wherein said chess game records include game moves and said database of information created from the game records includes game moves and (a) game move scores, (b) the top ranked move for each game move, (c) scores of top ranked moves, (d) game move subsequent ranked moves, (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves, (f) game move alternative ranked moves, (g) scores of game move alternative ranked moves, (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i) scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves; and

providing accessible commentary relative to the solution of a puzzle from information in said database including (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves, (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i) scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves.

6. In a chess instructional system for creating interactive chess puzzles for display on a display device, the combination comprising:

a chess engine analyzer program residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium that operates with a computer to create a searchable database of information from one or more chess game records wherein said searchable database includes: game records of game moves and (a) game move scores, (b) the top ranked move for each game move, (c) scores of top ranked moves, (d) game move subsequent ranked moves, (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves, (f) game move alternative ranked moves, (g) scores of game move alternative ranked moves, (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i) scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves;

a puzzle generator program that causes a computer to create instructional chess puzzles created from said database information wherein said instructional puzzles have a starting position of a plurality of chess pieces on a chess board and a final position of chess pieces on the board that constitutes the solution to said puzzle, which solution is achieved by making a plurality of correct chess piece moves; wherein said puzzle generator program further causes said computer to create accessible commentary relative to the solution of a puzzle from information in said database including: (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves; (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i); scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves.

7. A computer program residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium operable with a computer having a display device to cause the computer to create and display interactive instructional chess puzzles on the display device as follows:

cause the computer to act as a chess engine analyzer;

create a database of information from chess moves of chess game records of one or more chess games wherein the database of information includes game moves from game records, and (a) game move scores, (b) the top ranked move for each game move, (c) scores of top ranked moves, (d) game move subsequent ranked moves, (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves, (f) game move alternative ranked moves, (g) scores of game move alternative ranked moves, (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i) scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves;

generate interactive instructional chess puzzles from the information in the database wherein the puzzles have a starting position of a plurality of chess pieces on a chess board and a final position of chess pieces on the board that constitutes the solution to the puzzle, which solution is achieved by making a plurality of correct chess piece moves, and

cause the computer to provide accessible commentary relative to the solution of a interactive instructional chess puzzle from information in the database including (e) scores of game move subsequent ranked moves, (h) alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves and (i) scores of alternative ranked moves of game move subsequent ranked moves.