Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Game changer: generate a complete opening repertoire with just a few mouse clicks.

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 2d

Game Changer!
You can now generate a complete opening repertoire in a few minutes on Qchess.net and then upload it to Lichess, ChessBook, or Chessable.
The repertoire is based on the Elite Database (2+ million master games), the Lichess user games DB, and engine analysis.

youtu.be/qi5FH3LV_Js

Lichess 45 45 League Game Review

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 3d

Review of a Lichess 45 45 game focused on plans in the Maroczy pawn structure and the pawn ending.

Lichess 45 45 League Game Review
youtu.be/x8Ay_F_eXr0

Turbocharge your Chessable study!

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 3d

Also in New In Chess 2025#7:

James Altucher on the Code of the Adult Enjoyer.

5. Be OK Losing
My ex-wife once told me, 'Show me a learning experience and I'll show you a loser.'

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 3d

New In Chess 2025#7 is out with a tournament report of the FIDE Grand Swiss, interviews with Giri and MVL, Timman on Caruana, and an article on @yoshaiglesias.bsky.social winning the French women's championship.

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 20d

In this video, I explain how I use chessvision.ai, YouTube, Lichess, chess.com, and Forward Chess to turbocharge my Chessable study.
For a given position, I demonstrate how to search for videos, find reference games, explore the Lichess games database, and use Forward Chess.
youtu.be/loUwYxl4Rvo

Alekhine's Defense Four Pawns Attack: Part 2 - Variations without Bf5 and Early Deviations

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 21d

Second introduction video: variations without Bf5 and Early Deviations
youtu.be/aTL4NKZbVUY

Alekhine's Defense Four Pawns Attack: Part 1 - Introduction and Variations with Bf5

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 21d

First introduction video: Variations with Bf5.
youtu.be/Xq9obNz4vLc

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · 21d

My 10th Chessable course is out!
'Annihilate the Alekhine: 4 Pawns Attack for White'
Inspired by GM Gawain Jones' Coffeehouse Repertoire.
Easy to learn, fun to play.
Designed for club players, sufficient for masters.
www.chessable.com/annihilate-t...

www.chessable.com

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 31

Congratulations! 🎉
You have proven to belong in this class, which should boost your confidence. 💪
Your focus now should be on converting winning positions, a much better challenge than must-win situations against lower-rated opponents.

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 11

After 13... Rxc3 14. Qxc3, White has Kd2 in the end.

Useful chess principle or limiting chess dogma?

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 11

Black won after 13... Rxc3 14. Qxc3 Qxa2+ 15. Kc1 Bh6+ 0-1
I discovered the tactical motif 15... Bh6+, forcing a white piece to block the escape square of the white king, when I created my course.

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 11

Black has a cute tactic based on a tactical motif that I was not aware of until I created my Chessable course 'Dragon Fire: Tactics for Black in the Sicilian Dragon'.
White just played 13.Bxf6. Black to move and win.

r1r3k1/pp2ppbp/3pbBp1/q7/4P3/2NB3P/PPPQ1PP1/1K1R3R b - - 0 13

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 10

My video on this position and four other examples where active defense and concrete calculation trumps chess principles:
youtu.be/D1XLSEZA58E

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Aug 10

From Step 4 Plus - Mini Plans.
White to move activates their knight with Ng3, planning Ne4.
How do you evaluate the position, and how would you play the position with Black?
I was surprised by the engine's choice: 1.Ng3 e4!? 2.Nxe4 Re5!? 3.Nxf6 gxf6 =. Active defense based on concrete calculation.

2r1r1k1/2q2pp1/3p1b1p/1p1PpP2/p7/P1P2Q2/1P2N1PP/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 21

A new entry for the book 'Oops! I Resigned Again!' by Ian Rogers.

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 21

Nakamura just resigned against Carlsen in a winning position.
Just shows that even the best players prove to be mortal.
White to move after 32... Bg4

6rk/p6n/3p3b/2p1p2Q/2P1P1b1/1N1P1R1N/P3q2P/6RK w - - 0 33

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 19

The line is not played frequently enough for the course:
6... Nc6 is played in only 4% of the games after 6... b4
The subsequent 7... a6 in 32% of the games after 7... Nf3.
White gets a lead in development and more space:
8.Nc3 (attacks d5) e6 9.Na4 Be7 10.c4 Nf6 11.Nb6 Ra7 is a good illustration.

Game changer: Position search now available on Forward Chess !!

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 17

You can now search for positions in the complete Forward Chess library!
For each book that contains the position, Forward Chess shows you a snippet.
If you own the book, you can go to the exact position in the book with just one click.
The position search includes subvariations
youtu.be/c8lo9HLvWGY

Book review 'The Woodpecker Method 2 - Positional Play ' by Alex Smith

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 6

Book review 'The Woodpecker Method 2: Positional Play' by Axel Smith.
Over 1,000 exercises, 500 'pawn structure' puzzles and 500 'positional principles' exercises.
I compare the book to 'Chess Structures' by Mauricio Flores Rios, and compare the two learning philosophies.
youtu.be/7KccsQVczIg

Schematic thinking in Rook Endgames (1200-1900)

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · May 2

The standard network, installed when you download Leela Chess Zero, does not find Qxf5.
The strongest available network chooses the move instantly.
The spectacular move Qxf5 clearly comes from the network and not from the Monte Carlo - PUCT search. Fascinating!
youtu.be/rcLgoPh_JY4

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Apr 29

The @chessable.com courses are now also available on the @chess.com website
This creates a new market of a different magnitude for Chessable.
It was one of the last projects the former Chessable CEO @thegeert.bsky.social made happen.

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Apr 24

New video analysing 3 rook endgames of my students.
In the first two positions, I show how schematic thinking can help you win endgames effortlessly.
In the third position, I explain how I use Stockfish to discover the essence of an endgame.
youtu.be/sKuAOJFRPlY

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Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Apr 24

New In Chess 2025#3 is out with tournament reports on the Prague Masters, the American Cup, the European Championship, an interview with Aravindh, remembering Boris Spasski, the English Chess in Schools program, Nate Solon on using K-MAP to evaluate a position and much more.

Han Schut @hanschut.bsky.social · Apr 9

Surprising that Leela assessed this position and sac better than Stockfish as Stockfish calculates much deeper.