How is puzzle of the day chosen?

How is the puzzle of the day chosen? I ask because sometimes it seems impossible for me to choose the right move - because (to me) it looks like the first move was not anything amazing until the opponent responds with a pretty poor move, and then there is an opportunity to win some pieces. But it is the poor move that created the opportunity, not the initial 'best move'.

Anybody else agree?

I don't understand what you're saying.

What I mean is that I sometimes think that the 'best move' only becomes so after a poor move by the opposite colour.

So black (for example) makes a fairly innocuous move, white responds with a terrible move, allowing black to capture a queen or a rook. Black's initial move turned out to bring about a great capture, but that doesn't mean it was a great move.

When I look at puzzle of the day, and choose a move, I am ofen surprised by the move played by the opposite colour - it doesn't seem to be a good move at all, and it is their poor move that allows me to win pieces...not that my own move was particularly good.

You should open the analysis board and look at the other possible replies, analyse with Stockfish off first and then turn it on if you give up, there must be some reason they are losing that you are not seeing.

I completely disagree. I have resolved tons of puzzles and I didn't find one where the answer was a random move. If you think in that way is because you don't understand how deep the position is yet. It's normal. Almost everybody thinks that when they are newbies. Just keep playing and keep improving and you'll see how wrong you are.

I have the same problem as OP and I think we should start a forum to discuss the puzzles. To help others who don't understand how deep positions can be but also to find erroneous puzzles.

I encountered several bad examples, even one where the given solutions leads to checkmate (for the player!) in the next half-turn. Unfortunately, I didn't bookmark it.

I just encountered this example, which is not as fatal, but still a bad one:
lichess.org/training/61585

The given solution is:
9. e5 dxe5
10. fxe5 Bg7 ??
11. exf6

So white wins the knight for a pawn.

But why on earth would black play
10. ... Bg7 ??

instead of
10. ... Kg8

or
10. ... Kh5

These move are not superior also and I agree that black's position is worse than before. But this is just a trade-off and nothing I would consider a superior win for white.

If I find another puzzle with a fatally wrong solution, I will post it.
There are some puzzles with more downvotes than upvotes.

Each puzzle of the day is carefully scrutinized and approved by the Council.

It doesn't take long to realise why 10... Ng8 or Nh5 or any other knight move doesn't work - after 11. e6, black's rook is hanging and his bishop on d7 is attacked. Best case scenario you win the bishop for the pawn and you can trade queens right after to start pressing your material advantage.

I've seen some pretty stupid puzzles, but none where the computer actually plays the wrong moves like you said.

It's always possible that I am just not seeing the deeper positions, sure. Sometimes though, the initial damage is so severe (and, to my eyes, avoidable), that I wonder.

But yes, I'll analyse it in more detail.