LiChess Tools - a review of 2025

If I ask ChatGPT to summarize the changes to my LiChess Tools extension from 2025, I get a nicely formatted list which I am going to paste here and hope to be correct. I've added so much stuff :D

Yet, what's important is not in that list. You see, the LiChess Tools project has been born as a way for me to optimize my chess learning. It failed spectacularly, since I stopped playing chess to code on the extension. But it also succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. It has over 10000 users, about 5000 of them truly active. I talk with users every day and I get mostly good feedback, which makes me feel useful and connected. But after working 2.5 years on this extension, I realized that its purpose has to be Meaning. Let me explain.

For a few years I've been working for a company that cares for no one. Not their clients, not their employees, not even their efficiency at making money. It's a soul grinding machine. Making LiChess Tools worked as a balance for this. Instead or a lot of money, I get and ask for absolutely nothing. Instead of soul poison, I get healing. Instead of crippling loneliness, I get a community and instead of futility, I get meaning. This is what I want to offer the users of this extension, too. You gave me meaning and I want to share it back with you.

For this, though, the users have to become a community. Sorry about that. I know that you prefer not to interact with people other than on the board, I felt the same way for most of my life until I lost contact with other people and I found myself missing them. Technical tools are all fine and good, but without someone to share them with and enjoy them, without a purpose, what's the point?

That is why I intend - call it a new year resolution, but it's both not and more than that - this year to focus on the positive effects of LiChess Tools on community and effective motivation for whatever you feel you need motivation for. I hope that will meet your approval and needs. I also hope I will get your help, because I am crap at community and people stuff.

Speaking of, I need to thank from all my heart to the contributors to the project. People are translating LiChess Tools in their native languages, they are providing bug reports, feature ideas, chess knowledge, they are promoting LiChess Tools and just the other day I got a pull request! That means someone other than me contributed with code (a new tool) to the project. Even as I feel protective as a dictator for his control over the land, I am glad that people start contributing this much. I doubt that the extension will ever become self sufficient, meaning I could die and it would continue to be maintained and improved upon, but it's supposed to be a Lichess extension, not a Siderite fiefdom.

Lichess is also a lot of help. They may seem grumpy and snarky, but they are good people. Thank you for providing one of those lifeline services that get only complaints because you've been so consistent providing it that people take it for granted!

That being said, tough days are coming as well. I have quit the soul grinder and I will have to start looking for a job soon. You may not know this, but the big LiChess Tools features are not there yet. They are a-coming :) If I weren't this lazy, they would have been here by now, but they are not. I am planning a rewrite to V3 to consolidate the code and improve performance, as well.

So the year's review is basically: LiChess Tools brought a lot of people together, now I need to care more about my people. Worse, I have to make them care, too. I don't know if I will succeed, but I feel happy to have the opportunity to try.

Happy 2026 and I wish you a less lazy LiChess Tools developer!

Features Implemented (creatively generated by ChatGPT)

Analysis & Evaluation

• New Lichess cloud evaluation system
• External engine support with infinite analysis
• Engine upgrade to Stockfish 17.1
• Custom engine level and custom practice depth
• Multi-PV cloud-eval cache key
• Local cloud-eval cache
• Continuous piece value evaluation
• Color-coded centipawn evaluation
• Evaluation depth chart
• Accuracy metrics (per phase, hover info, estimated rating, expected rating change)
• Best-move arrow
• Mate and book glyph preferences

Charts & Visualization

• Extra charting improvements
• K-MAPS (radar charts, improvements, structure visualization)
• Win margin tooltip
• Eval depth chart

Chess UI & Board Customization

• Custom board styling
• Custom board colors and mobile shape colors
• Piece sets (including chess.com pieces)
• Arcade theme
• Vintage Adamisko theme
• Square grid theme
• Mobile theme fixes
• Toggle study chat theme
• Fast board flip on mobile
• Shape drawing and board flip in playing interactive

PGN, Studies & Editing

• Smart PGN paste
• PGN HTML rendering
• PGN export options
• Bulk PGN tag editing
• PGN editor improvements (cut shapes, cut clock/eval comments, double-tap on mobile)
• Search games by clock or shapes in PGN editor
• Reorder variations
• Study topics
• Study subchapters
• Bulk imported study delete
• Analysis download

Search, Navigation & Filtering

• Ctrl-F search
• Move list search
• Game list text filter
• Friends page name filter
• Bot filters
• Search your puzzles
• Ctrl-player navigation in Explorer
• More games in Explorer

Interaction & Assistance

• Move Assistant
• Chess Pursuit mode
• Auto-expand features
• Time alerts
• Read position and piece value commands
• Highlight only my moves
• Hint menu in interactives
• Infinite analysis for external engines

Social, Friends & Community

• New followers system
• Show total friends
• Live friends fixes
• Quick report & block
• Chat extra buttons
• Comment reading options and improvements
• Read-only comments made editable
• Read-only comment tab
• Quote list per author
• Side daily quote

Media & Content Handling

• Image upload via imgBB
• Delete pasted images
• Ctrl-C copy image from screenshot tool
• Copy FEN with Ctrl-C

Accessibility, Input & UX

• Autofocus preferences
• Disable mouse-over CLI input
• Bigger buttons for mobile correspondence
• Voice selection (including Firefox-specific support)
• Reading voice selection
• Voice icon button fixes

Menus, Layout & Navigation

• Main menu volume bar
• Full-width layout and hide left sidebar
• Hide sub-elements in lobby
• Extra lobby counters
• Tournament top board
• Active icon selection
• CSS variable-based icons

Preferences & Configuration

• Preferences revamp
• Preference upgrades
• Lichess Tools preferences fixes
• Extension toggle

Utilities & Export

• Export PGN improvements
• Download CSV
• Puzzle history
• Puzzle streak state
• Puzzle session totals

Miscellaneous Features

• Feedback tool
• Wiki URLs for /opening
• Opponent profile links
• Translate links
• Broadcast openings
• Opening structure visualization
• Practice level UI
• Bulk bookmark removal