Let's Chess It Out

The last two years, I have spent my free time working—on and off—on a project close to my heart. Recently, I made some major changes and now feel confident that I have reached a presentable product.

What is Chess It Out?

Chess It Out is both a training tool and a game in itself.

The Basic Idea Is Quickly Explained

1. You and an opponent are shown the same intriguing chess position.
2. You both enter your color preference for the position.
3. If your preferences match, you move on to the next position; if not, you play it out with your chosen colors.

Specifics

The basic interface looks like this:

Here, you must select either prefer white or prefer black.
Additionally, you can mark skip to indicate that you do not want to play this position. However, skipping only takes effect if both players select it. If only one player marks skip, it has no effect.
Naturally, a running clock ensures that decisions are made in a timely manner, preventing stalling.

Additional Features

You can submit your preference at any time without waiting for the clock to run out. To add a layer of strategy, you can even weaponize the clock to gain an advantage.

The Pressure Button

This button is available as long as your opponent has not yet submitted their preference. When pressed, it immediately locks in your choice and cuts your opponent’s remaining time in half. This puts them under pressure and also grants you access to the peek feature.

The Peek Button

This button lets you preview the upcoming position, giving you a head start in case the current position does not result in an actual chess game. This can provide a strategic advantage, allowing you to plan ahead.

How It Developed

Over the past two years, numerous improvements have transformed Chess It Out from its early version.

Quality Over Quantity

Initially, the project featured a database with millions of positions, many of which lacked the depth necessary to spark debate. By focusing on a few thousand high-quality positions—selected using intrinsic metrics from Leela Chess Zero—the experience has become far more engaging.

Games Instead of Isolated Positions

Rather than presenting random positions, the platform now offers sequences of connected positions from the same game. This creates continuity, allowing insights gained from one position to carry over to the next.

Simplified Preference Options

The first version offered five evaluation choices. Now, the decision has been streamlined to two simple options (prefer white or prefer black), with an optional vote to skip. This makes the process more intuitive and enjoyable.

Lichess Integration

Previously, games were played on Chess It Out and later uploaded to Lichess—a cumbersome process. Now, games are played directly on Lichess, ensuring a smoother and more familiar experience.

Where To Go From Here

Chess It Out has grown into a dynamic platform that bridges training and play, but there’s still room for growth.

Feature Expansion

To enhance both training and competition, I am considering introducing customizable filters for positions. This would allow players to focus on specific openings or target distinct game phases. The ability to filter by thematic motifs—such as pins, forks, or sacrifices—could also help players address personal weaknesses.

Database Refinement

The shift from quantity to quality has already improved the experience significantly. Moving forward, I plan to refine the game database even further. Selecting the right games and positions was one of the most challenging aspects of this project, and while I’m proud of the current selection, I believe there’s still room for improvement.

Getting Feedback

Most importantly, I’d love to hear your thoughts! A couple of days ago I already made a post in the Lichess subreddit that was very well received. But whether it’s feedback, criticism, or feature suggestions, I'd love to hear all of it. So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers :)

PS: In addition to this blog post, I recorded this video to explain the details.