Free, open-source software for demostrating chess problems: built since I couldn't find quite the right tool, and decided to write it instead. There are some lovely tools out there for slightly other purposes!
I am just a hobby programmer, so apologies to all the professionals for all the weird things I've done.
A short screencast covering the stepping through a pre-defined solution: I'm just pressing →(Right arrow), using Ctrl + 1 to add colours, and Delete to clear colours.
Chess Navigator doesn't enforce chess rules -- beyond optional castling, en passant and promotion. It's a presentation tool, not an engine.
Pick up and place any piece, anywhere. Good for showing an idea that isn't part of the prepared line. You can stil press U and I to Undo and Redo moves. Use Q/R/B/S/P to complete promotions.
Use the arrow keys to move through a pre-defined tree of FEN positions -- a solution, a try, or several tries at once. Play a move to improvise, then resume tree navigation right where you left off.
The pre-defined sequence will be defined in a text file like PROBLEM_LIST.txt
Press H the moment the program launches to see the full list. A few of the others:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ← / → | Step through the solution tree |
| + / − | Cycle board and piece size |
| Home | Jump to the start of the solution |
| End | Jump to the end of the solution |
| F1 | Load the next problem (if multiple problems in a file) |
| F3 | Load the previous problem (if multiple problems in a file) |
Source, README, cheatsheet and the Windows installer all live on GitHub.
David Hodge