EP 474- NM Han Schut on GM Jan Timman’s Legacy, Chess Improvement, & Using LLM’s to Create Helpful Chess Tools

This week’s returning guest is NM Han Schut. Han is a former corporate executive turned Chessable author and trainer, known for his expertise in the Chess Steps Method and chess technology. Han joins me to reflect on the legacy of his fellow Dutchman, GM Jan Timman, who recently passed away. He shares personal anecdotes and discusses Timman’s impact as a world-class competitor, prolific author, and cultural icon in the Netherlands. We also explore a fascinating recent project: Han built a custom chess database with the help of the LLM Claude, which handled all of the coding. He explains how players can use LLMs effectively for chess study and recommends other powerful digital tools. Finally, Han offers evergreen advice on rest, mindset, and accurately assessing your own chess performance. As always, I came away inspired by Han’s wide-ranging knowledge and practical approach to chess. Thanks to our sponsors, Chessable.com! Check out Han Schut's courses here: ⁠https://www.chessable.com/author/HanSchut/⁠ 00:00 Remembering Grandmaster Jan Timman Mentioned: Read Peter Doggers’ obituary here: https://www.chess.com/news/view/jan-timman-obituary Timman-Ribli 1978- https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1142478 12:03 Exploring LLMs in Chess Coding Check out Han’s video about coding with Claude here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSj69yLmwMg&t=3s Download the Lichess Puzzle Database Here: https://database.lichess.org/#puzzles Link to download Han and Claude’s creation within this article: https://lichess.org/@/HanSchut/blog/the-lichess-opening-puzzles-with-games-makes-them-searchable-from-any-position/BUHE9eQ3 Matt Shumer article “Something Big is Happening”- https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/2021256989876109403 21:45 Creating Chess Tools with AI 27:56 The Rise of AI and Its Implications 34: 00 Han’s Chess Study Tool Recommendations: Mentioned: Forward Chess https://forwardchess.com/ Chessvision AI https://chessvision.ai/ 36:55 Patreon mailbag question: What is Han’s advice for how to approach chess puzzles? Mentioned: CT Art Puzzles- (Chessking App) https://chesskingtraining.com/ct-art/ Chessbase Puzzles https://tactics.chessbase.com/nl/Solve 45:40 Mindset and Mental Strength in Chess Mentioned: Think Like a Super GM by Michael Adams How to Chess Podcast with Han Schut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPN60QMA2oA 53:12 Managing Anxiety and Performance Pressure 58:46 Patreon mailbag question: What does Han think of Chessalyz AI and other AI Chess Tutors? Mentioned: Chessalyz AI: https://chessalyz.ai/ FM Dalton Perrine’s blog: https://chesschatter.substack.com/ Novachess AI https://www.chessagine.com/ 1:05:00- Thanks to Han for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him: YouTube (including Saturday morning streams): https://www.youtube.com/c/hanschut Lichess coaches: https://lichess.org/coach/HanSchut Chessable courses: https://www.chessable.com/author/HanSchut/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices