diff --git a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
index 8811d15e..c7e059ea 100644
--- a/src/Makefile
+++ b/src/Makefile
@@ -869,42 +869,6 @@ install:
 clean: objclean profileclean
 	@rm -f .depend *~ core
 
-# evaluation network (nnue)
-net:
-	$(eval nnuenet := $(shell grep EvalFileDefaultName evaluate.h | grep define | sed 's/.*\(nn-[a-z0-9]\{12\}.nnue\).*/\1/'))
-	@echo "Default net: $(nnuenet)"
-	$(eval nnuedownloadurl1 := https://tests.stockfishchess.org/api/nn/$(nnuenet))
-	$(eval nnuedownloadurl2 := https://github.com/official-stockfish/networks/raw/master/$(nnuenet))
-	$(eval curl_or_wget := $(shell if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then echo "curl -skL"; elif hash wget 2>/dev/null; then echo "wget -qO-"; fi))
-	@if [ "x$(curl_or_wget)" = "x" ]; then \
-	    echo "Neither curl nor wget is installed. Install one of these tools unless the net has been downloaded manually"; \
-        fi
-	$(eval shasum_command := $(shell if hash shasum 2>/dev/null; then echo "shasum -a 256 "; elif hash sha256sum 2>/dev/null; then echo "sha256sum "; fi))
-	@if [ "x$(shasum_command)" = "x" ]; then \
-            echo "shasum / sha256sum not found, skipping net validation"; \
-        fi
-	@for nnuedownloadurl in "$(nnuedownloadurl1)" "$(nnuedownloadurl2)"; do \
-	   if test -f "$(nnuenet)"; then \
-	      echo "$(nnuenet) available."; \
-	   else \
-	      if [ "x$(curl_or_wget)" != "x" ]; then \
-                 echo "Downloading $${nnuedownloadurl}"; $(curl_or_wget) $${nnuedownloadurl} > $(nnuenet);\
-              else \
-                 echo "No net found and download not possible"; exit 1;\
-	      fi; \
-	   fi; \
-	   if [ "x$(shasum_command)" != "x" ]; then \
-	      if [ "$(nnuenet)" != "nn-"`$(shasum_command) $(nnuenet) | cut -c1-12`".nnue" ]; then \
-	         echo "Removing failed download"; rm -f $(nnuenet); \
-	      else \
-	         echo "Network validated"; break; \
-	      fi; \
-	   fi; \
-	done
-	@if ! test -f "$(nnuenet)"; then \
-	    echo "Failed to download $(nnuenet)."; \
-	fi
-
 # clean binaries and objects
 objclean:
 	@rm -f stockfish stockfish.exe *.o ./syzygy/*.o ./nnue/*.o ./nnue/features/*.o
@@ -919,6 +883,53 @@ profileclean:
 	@rm -f stockfish.res
 	@rm -f ./-lstdc++.res
 
+# set up shell variables for the net stuff
+netvariables:
+	$(eval nnuenet := $(shell grep EvalFileDefaultName evaluate.h | grep define | sed 's/.*\(nn-[a-z0-9]\{12\}.nnue\).*/\1/'))
+	$(eval nnuedownloadurl1 := https://tests.stockfishchess.org/api/nn/$(nnuenet))
+	$(eval nnuedownloadurl2 := https://github.com/official-stockfish/networks/raw/master/$(nnuenet))
+	$(eval curl_or_wget := $(shell if hash curl 2>/dev/null; then echo "curl -skL"; elif hash wget 2>/dev/null; then echo "wget -qO-"; fi))
+	$(eval shasum_command := $(shell if hash shasum 2>/dev/null; then echo "shasum -a 256 "; elif hash sha256sum 2>/dev/null; then echo "sha256sum "; fi))
+
+# evaluation network (nnue)
+net: netvariables
+	@echo "Default net: $(nnuenet)"
+	@if [ "x$(curl_or_wget)" = "x" ]; then \
+	    echo "Neither curl nor wget is installed. Install one of these tools unless the net has been downloaded manually"; \
+	fi
+	@if [ "x$(shasum_command)" = "x" ]; then \
+        echo "shasum / sha256sum not found, skipping net validation"; \
+    elif test -f "$(nnuenet)"; then \
+	    if [ "$(nnuenet)" != "nn-"`$(shasum_command) $(nnuenet) | cut -c1-12`".nnue" ]; then \
+	        echo "Removing invalid network"; rm -f $(nnuenet); \
+	    fi; \
+	fi;
+	@for nnuedownloadurl in "$(nnuedownloadurl1)" "$(nnuedownloadurl2)"; do \
+		if test -f "$(nnuenet)"; then \
+	    	echo "$(nnuenet) available : OK"; break; \
+		else \
+	    	if [ "x$(curl_or_wget)" != "x" ]; then \
+				echo "Downloading $${nnuedownloadurl}"; $(curl_or_wget) $${nnuedownloadurl} > $(nnuenet);\
+			else \
+				echo "No net found and download not possible"; exit 1;\
+	    	fi; \
+		fi; \
+		if [ "x$(shasum_command)" != "x" ]; then \
+	    	if [ "$(nnuenet)" != "nn-"`$(shasum_command) $(nnuenet) | cut -c1-12`".nnue" ]; then \
+				echo "Removing failed download"; rm -f $(nnuenet); \
+	    	fi; \
+		fi; \
+	done
+	@if ! test -f "$(nnuenet)"; then \
+	    echo "Failed to download $(nnuenet)."; \
+	fi;
+	@if [ "x$(shasum_command)" != "x" ]; then \
+		if [ "$(nnuenet)" = "nn-"`$(shasum_command) $(nnuenet) | cut -c1-12`".nnue" ]; then \
+			echo "Network validated"; break; \
+		fi; \
+	fi; \
+
+# default target
 default:
 	help