Bloodbath
Most captures in one game of at least 10 moves.
29captures
- Open section
- Round 1 of 11
- Wednesday 16 September
- Samarkand
- Standings
Round 1
388 of 404 games finished, 94% of them decisive. 73 teams won 4–0. China had the best team performance, 2578.
CompleteUpdated 16 Sept 2026, 22:53 CEST, 16 forfeits
Round 1 in numbers
388
games finished of 404
94%
decisive; White scored 51%
39
moves per game
89
moves in the longest game
Results
185
White wins, 48%
22
draws, 6%
181
Black wins, 47%
23 checkmates on the board, 2 draws by repetition, 0 stalemates, 0 draws before move 30 and 16 forfeits.
Accuracy and time
89.6%
average accuracy, as Lichess scores it
1.71
blunders per game
2:25
average time per move
9%
of moves played with under 5 minutes left
Lichess analysed 386 of 388 finished games, with 1,644 inaccuracies, 550 mistakes and 659 blunders. Times come from the relay clocks of 337 games. The extra 30 minutes after move 40 showed up on move 41 or 42 for 70% of 161 players, and never for 50 players who went past move 45.
Game awards
Pacifist
Fewest captures in one game of at least 30 moves.
4captures
Marathon
The longest game of the round.
89moves
Quickest Kill
Shortest decisive game of at least 10 moves; forfeits do not count.
12moves
Checkmate on the Board
The earliest checkmate actually delivered, not a resignation.
15moves
Endgame Wizard
The longest endgame of the round, by Lichess's phase divider.
68moves
Hypertension
Two pieces attacked each other for the longest time and nobody took.
29moves
Crosshairs
The piece with the most attackers and defenders pointed at it at one moment.
8attackers
Separation Anxiety
The latest real queen trade: both queens captured within two plies of each other.
67moves
Strategic Downsizing
The earliest real queen trade in a game of at least 20 moves.
5moves
Shortest Draw
The shortest draw; before move 30 only repetition or stalemate is allowed.
30moves
David vs Goliath
The biggest rating gap where the lower-rated player did not lose.
756rating points
Player awards
Longest Capture Spree
The longest run of consecutive captures, both sides taking turns.
10captures in a row
Longest King Hunt
Most consecutive checks by one side; a quiet move ends the hunt.
7checks in a row
Do You Even Rook Lift Bro
The earliest rook to leave its back rank for the third rank or beyond, without capturing.
10moves
Castle Commitment Issues
The latest castling of the round.
31moves
Dadbod Shuffler
Most king moves by one side in a game of at least 30 moves.
30king moves
Sporty Queen
The original queen that travelled the most squares; promoted queens do not count.
68squares
Chicken
Highest share of moves that went backwards, over at least 25 own moves.
34.5% retreats
Parkour Master
Most knight moves by one side.
33knight moves
Dark Mode Enthusiast
Most captures landing on dark squares by one side.
11captures
Wears Sunglasses
Most captures landing on light squares by one side.
11captures
Peasant Uprising
Most captures made by pawns by one side.
7pawn captures
Center Stage
The one piece that landed on d4, d5, e4 or e5 most often.
9arrivals
Square Tourist
The one piece that stood on the most different squares, its start square included.
24squares
Comfort Zone
Highest share of one piece type among a side's piece moves, over at least 20 of them.
61.1% of piece moves
Pawn Storm
Most pawn moves by one side while the game was still in its opening.
11pawn moves
Professional Edger
Highest share of moves from or to the a- and h-files, over at least 25 own moves.
49.1% edge moves
Underpromotion
Every promotion to a knight, bishop or rook this round.
2this round
En Passant
Every en passant capture of the round.
20this round
- 19. axb6GM Tomas Laurusas LTU 25361againstMohammed Fahad M Alsemail KSA 19820
- 41. exf6+CM Jose Carlos Vaz CPV 19910againstGM Sasa Martinovic CRO 25531
- 19. dxe6FM Wilton Inacio Calicoca MOZ 19530againstIM Arash Daghli IRI 24291
17 more
- 33. gxh6Marcos Ortiz NCA 22260againstGM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen NOR 26561
- 15… cxb3GM Mads Andersen DEN 25491againstFM Rupesh Jaiswal NEP 21510
- 19… exf3Ahmad Abdel Wahab PLE 20661againstGM Felix Blohberger AUT 25520
- 20. exf6GM Li Min Peng SUI 25681againstWilfried Ntamatungiro BDI 19060
- 12. dxe6Nidal Ghanoui MAR 21120againstGM Rauf Mamedov AZE 26311
- 44. exf6+FM Bakary Traore MLI 2134½againstIM Saidakbar Saydaliev UZB 3 2475½
- 20… exf3Gary Clark JCI 18310againstIM Esteban Alb Valderrama Quiceno COL 23901
- 24. exf6Matthew Luke Aziz GAM 18030againstFM Mekhriddin Sharifov TJK 24191
- 21. dxe6IM Muhammad Khusenkhojaev TJK 24081againstEssa Ndow GAM 17010
- 15. dxc6FM Kavin Mohan MAS 23481againstCM Rudr Prasad FIJ 17690
- 24. dxe6IM Abdalrahman Sameh Mohamed EGY 23221againstCM Jamie Morgan GCI 17940
- 19. hxg6IM Tom Middelburg NZL 23441againstCM Barthelemy Bongo Akanga Ndjila GAB 17950
- 28. gxf6IM Sebastian Mihajlov CRC 23721againstTimothy Kate SEY 17720
- 21. exf6FM Muhamet Asllani KOS 22291againstJunior Lui SOL 18190
- 19… bxc3FM Musonda Chola ZAM 20981againstVedant Shetty VIN 18120
- 13. dxe6IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage SRI 24691againstResurrecion Barredo PNG0
- 13… exd3Maurice Lettsome IVB 18340againstFM Morales Carlos ESA 22441
Ratings, titles and ages
Giant Slayer
The win with the lowest expected score by Elo, at most 25 %.
1.3% expected
Untitled Hero
An untitled player beat or drew a titled one; the strongest opponent wins.
2582opponent rating
GM Scalp
A player without the GM title beat a grandmaster; the biggest rating gap wins.
756rating points
Upset of the Round
The decisive game with the biggest rating gap won by the lower-rated player.
756rating points
Clash of Titans
The game with the highest average rating.
2561average rating
Youngest Player
The youngest player who played this round, by birth year.
10years
Oldest Player
The oldest player who played this round, by birth year.
74years
Generations
The largest age gap between two opponents.
49years
Clock awards
Longest Think
Most time spent on a single move, from the relay clocks.
36:42on one move
Zeitnot Addict
Most moves played with less than five minutes on the clock.
52moves under 5 minutes
Time Scramble Survivor
Won after dropping below one minute at some point after move 30; the lowest clock wins.
0:32left at the lowest
Time Millionaire
Most time left at the end of a won game of at least 30 moves.
1:33:28left at the end
Increment Farmer
Most time banked after move 40 from the 30-second increments, in a game of 50 moves or more.
7:14gained after move 40
Deep Breath
Longest think followed by a top move: one that cost at most one point of Lichess win percentage.
36:42thinking, then a top move
Not awarded this round: Flag Fall.
From the relay clocks of 337 of 388 finished games; games with missing, hand-entered or corrected clocks are left out, and time left after move 40 counts only once the clock shows the extra 30 minutes.
Engine awards
Most Accurate
Highest Lichess accuracy in a game of at least 20 moves.
99.5% accuracy
Cleanest Game
Lowest combined average centipawn loss of both players, at least 20 moves.
4combined centipawn loss
Wildest Game
Highest combined average centipawn loss of both players, at least 20 moves.
340combined centipawn loss
Biggest Blunder
The Lichess-marked blunder that cost the most winning chances.
93.3points of win chance lost
Swindle of the Day
Won a game that the engine had at −3.00 or worse for the winner; the deepest hole wins.
−10.51at the worst, winner’s view
Heartbreak
Lost or drew a game the engine had at +3.00 or better for them; the biggest lead wins.
+10.51at the best, player’s view
Rollercoaster
Most swings between a one-pawn lead for White and one for Black, in a game of at least 20 moves.
5swings
Ice Cold
Longest game of at least 30 moves in which one side got no inaccuracy, mistake or blunder mark from Lichess.
85moves without a mark
Not awarded this round: Lucky Escape.
From Lichess’s computer analysis of 386 of 388 finished games. 2 more join when the round is updated the next evening. Inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders are the ones Lichess marks on the move.
Chess culture
Royal Walkabout
His Majesty went for a walk: the king stepped off its home square by move 15 while it could still castle, was not in check and both queens were on. The earliest walk wins.
8moves
Botez Gambit
The queen went right after a move Lichess marked ??: taken on the next move, not won back, and still three points down soon after. The earliest one wins.
10moves
Never Play f6
Ben Finegold says never push the f-pawn one square. These players did it by move 10 (f3 or …f6) and won anyway.
50%, scored by everyone who tried it
- 3. f3IM Daniyal Sapenov KAZ 25101againstFM Marckens Jean Louis HAI 20070
- 3. f3IM Santiago Lopez Rayo COL 24311againstPaul A Carpenter JCI 18580
- 5. f3FM Banele Mhango RSA 23541againstFM Mashala Kabamwanishi COD 19400
14 more, tied
- 6. f3FM Matias Haziel Lizano Quiros CRC 21691againstCM Benjamin Hoareau SEY 18270
- 7. f3GM Hans Moke Niemann USA 27251againstFM Zozek Salah Mohammed IRQ 22410
- 7… f6CM Jamal Adam CHA 20160againstIM Kevin Noboa Silva ECU 24001
- 8… f6CM Ben Magana KEN 19920againstGM Fernando Peralta ARG 25531
- 8. f3GM Mukhiddin Madaminov UZB 26111againstCM Akeem Brown JAM 20720
- 8… f6FM Jaime Rodriguez Santiago PUR 20690againstGM Jan Malek POL 25871
- 9. f3GM Juraj Druska SVK 24591againstCristian Tenezaca GUM 18750
- 9. f3GM Marin Bosiocic CRO 25631againstCM David Mirulla CPV 18900
- 9. f3IM Filip Magold ROU 24941againstFM Leonhard Mueller NAM 21380
- 9… f6CM Shaun M Tracey CAY 17670againstIM Filip Pancevski MKD 24221
- 10… f6CM Sushrut Dahal NEP 20380againstGM Bjorn Moller Ochsner DEN 24781
- 10. f3IM Sai Krishna G V CAN 24511againstSantiago Jr Tan PLW 18990
- 10… f6FM Shuaau Muhammed MDV 22070againstIM Andre Ventura Sousa POR 24511
- 10. f3IM Konstantinos Megalios SCO 23731againstMohammed Al Ryami OMA 17100
Mate Gallery
Checkmates with a name: back-rank, smothered, Anastasia’s, Arabian, hook, dovetail, Boden’s, double-bishop, double check, pawn, promotion, king move or castling.
2this round
Family Fork
A knight gave check and attacked the queen at the same time, from a square where it could not simply be taken. Every one is listed, the ones that won the queen first.
6this round
Holy Hell
En passant was on the board and the player left it alone. En passant is forced, allegedly.
18this round
- 18… e5, fxe6 e.p. left aloneRodi. Bakr SYR 20921againstSaidou Rigo Boubacar NIG 17420
- 15. f4, exf3 e.p. left aloneCarl Victor Adams SKN0againstFM Jonathan L B Blackburn WLS 22391
- 18. f4, gxf3 e.p. left aloneIM Reza Mahdavi IRI 24851againstCM Joao Farisse MOZ 20370
15 more
- 18… f5, exf6 e.p. left aloneGM Faustino Oro ARG 25371againstKuka Kyle KEN 20120
- 52… e5, dxe6 e.p. left aloneGM Nikita Petrov MNE 25651againstFM Ursus Van Bemmelen CUR 20810
- 17. c4, bxc3 e.p. left aloneJohan Van Delden CUR 19900againstGM Nikola Djukic MNE 24471
- 17… b5, axb6 e.p. left aloneCM Tokelo Klaas LES 18790againstIM Dau Khuong Duy VIE 25091
- 11… f5, exf6 e.p. left aloneGM Luis Galego POR 24001againstAhmed Aboobakuru MDV 17100
- 40. e4+, dxe3+ e.p. left aloneChiya mder hamad IRQ 19830againstGM Wesley So USA 27741
- 21… c5, bxc6 e.p. left aloneGM Liren Ding CHN 27331againstFM Patrick Kawuma UGA 22370
- 46… g5, hxg6 e.p. left aloneIM Almas Rakhmatullaev UZB 3 24181againstOumar Keita MLI 18920
- 31. a4, bxa3 e.p. left aloneCM Mana Al Kathiri OMA 18860againstFM Murad Abdulla SCO 23231
- 27. f4, gxf3+ e.p. left aloneTimur Daudov KGZ 20631againstIlbouldo Soumaila BUR0
- 48. h4, gxh3+ e.p. left aloneMohamed Bilal Houssein DJI 18071againstFM Rafail Antoniou CYP 22440
- 46… c5, dxc6 e.p. left aloneFM Bomo Lovet Kigigha NGR 22871againstNicolas Douyere NCL 18180
- 17… f5, exf6 e.p. left aloneMahendra Gurung BHU 17150againstEsteve Mateu Guiu AND 21811
- 2… e5, dxe6 e.p. left aloneSanker Kim CAM 15830againstCM Adib Arkadan LBN 21481
- 15… f5, exf6 e.p. left aloneFM Fareed Ahmed UAE 21321againstOmario Pope GRN 14310
Brilliant!!
A real sacrifice: the piece was taken at once and the player stayed at least two points down, yet Lichess found nothing wrong with the move. The biggest gift wins.
4points of material given
Shahrukh
Castled with check. Timur is said to have named his son Shah Rukh after the king-and-rook move he had just played when the news of the birth arrived.
1this round
Tal’s Dark Forest
“Take your opponent into a deep dark forest”: won after the longest stretch at least three points down in material.
7moves down
Pigs on the 7th
Both rooks on the opponent’s second rank, eating everything; the longest stay wins.
13moves
Il Vaticano
Two bishops on one rank, three files apart, with two enemy pawns between them: the r/AnarchyChess cathedral. The first time for each player is listed.
1this round
Poisoned Pawn
The queen grabbed the b-pawn (Qxb7 or …Qxb2) by move 15. Fischer’s favourite snack; the result tells whether it was poisoned.
3this round
Greek Gift
The classic bishop sacrifice on h7 (or …h2): the bishop took the pawn with check.
2this round
Not awarded this round: The Carlsen Grind, Short’s King Walk.
Homages to chess memes, famous games and Samarkand lore, meant kindly. Brilliant!!, Botez Gambit and The Carlsen Grind use Lichess’s analysis of 386 of 388 finished games; the rest look at every finished game.
Team awards
Whitewash
Won the match 4–0, forfeits included. Every one is listed.
73this round
70 more
4–0 v Cameroon, round 1
4–0 v Sao Tome and Principe, round 1
4–0 v Liberia, round 1
4–0 v Seychelles, round 1
4–0 v Suriname, round 1
4–0 v Honduras, round 1
4–0 v Dominica, round 1
4–0 v Chad, round 1
4–0 v British Virgin Islands, round 1
4–0 v Ethiopia, round 1
4–0 v Faroe Islands, round 1
4–0 v Guinea, round 1
4–0 v Brunei Darussalam, round 1
4–0 v Ghana, round 1
4–0 v Saudi Arabia, round 1
4–0 v Laos, round 1
4–0 v Macau, China, round 1
4 games
4–0 v Somalia, round 1
4–0 v Aruba, round 1
4–0 v New Caledonia, round 1
4–0 v Nicaragua, round 1
4 games
4–0 v Vanuatu, round 1
4–0 v Mauritius, round 1
4 games
4–0 v Togo, round 1
4–0 v Puerto Rico, round 1
4–0 v Maldives, round 1
4–0 v Oman, round 1
4–0 v Democratic Republic of the Congo, round 1
4–0 v Mauritania, round 1
4–0 v Gambia, round 1
4–0 v Timor-Leste, round 1
4–0 v Jamaica, round 1
4–0 v Nauru, round 1
4–0 v Belize, round 1
Comeback Match
Lost on board 1 and still won the match.
4this round
won 3–1 v Palestine after losing board 1, round 1
won 3–1 v Djibouti after losing board 1, round 1
won 3–1 v Thailand after losing board 1, round 1
1 more
won 3–1 v Bahamas after losing board 1, round 1
Bloodiest Nation
Most captures per game across the team's finished games.
12.5captures per game
50 captures in 4 games
Draw Kings
Highest share of draws among the team's finished games.
50% draws
2 of 4 games drawn
2 of 4 games drawn
2 of 4 games drawn
1 more, tied
2 of 4 games drawn
Marathon Nation
Longest average game, in moves, over the team's finished games.
65.75moves per game
263 moves in 4 games
263 moves in 4 games
Sprint Nation
Shortest average game, in moves, over the team's finished games.
23.25moves per game
93 moves in 4 games
93 moves in 4 games
Space Invaders
Most moves into the opponent's half per 100 of the team's own moves.
47.1per 100 moves
65 of 138 moves crossed the middle
Check, Please
Most checks given per game over the team's finished games.
7checks per game
28 checks in 4 games
The Late Knight Show
Most knight moves from move 31 on, per game, over the team's finished games.
5.75late knight moves per game
23 late knight moves in 4 games
Promotion Party
Most promotions by the team's players; the games are listed.
4promotions
Team of the Round
Highest performance over the four boards: average opponent rating plus 400 × (wins − losses) ÷ 4. Needs four played boards against rated opponents.
2578performance
Not awarded this round: Pulling an Uzbekistan, Treaty of Samarkand.
Rates over each team’s finished games of the round, four needed. The event-wide team awards and the board race are on the standings page.
Notable games
Longest game
89moves
Mlik Omar SEN 16180againstGM David C Smerdon AUS 24611Shortest decisive game
7moves
Thinlee Wangyel BHU 16920againstFM Serni Ribera Veganzones AND 23051Shortest draw
30moves
Marco Emile ISV½againstFM Khalil Bengherabi ALG 2131½Fastest checkmate
15moves
Mate with the queenCM Ruben Abraham Ulloa Castillo PAN 21781againstMarc Delrieu VAN 15640Bloodiest game
29captures
Vitalis Mapuranga ZIM 2058½againstGM Roman Dehtiarov UKR 2508½Quietest game
4captures
In 24 movesIM Manuel Campos Gomez COL 24281againstJames Auckland JCI 17440Longest stretch without a capture
32moves
Moves 54 to 86Marc Gonzalez Garcia AND 21381againstKarma Kelzang BHU 15580Longest endgame
68moves
Mlik Omar SEN 16180againstGM David C Smerdon AUS 24611Game phases
11
moves of opening
18
moves of middlegame
15
moves of endgame
Averages per game, with the phases split as Lichess splits them. 69% of the games reached an endgame; the first capture came on move 7.1 on average.
Tactics
6,280
captures, 16.2 per game
1,377
checks
628
castled kingside
61
castled queenside
11
games without castling
27
promotions, 2 under
20
en passant captures
En passant
Under-promotions
Openings
First moves
- 1.e443%White scored 51%
- 1.d434%White scored 42%
- 1.Nf311%White scored 67%
- 1.c410%White scored 65%
- 1.b31%White scored 67%
Share of all finished games. Opening names and ECO codes come from Lichess, based on the position reached.
Most played families
| Opening | Games | White’s score |
|---|---|---|
| Sicilian Defense | 77 | 42% |
| English Opening | 42 | 54% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 36 | 60% |
| Queen's Gambit Declined | 25 | 48% |
| French Defense | 18 | 72% |
| King's Indian Defense | 18 | 61% |
| Queen's Pawn Game | 18 | 56% |
| Indian Defense | 17 | 24% |
Best for White
| Opening | Games | White’s score |
|---|---|---|
| B30 Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack | 5 | 100% |
| D53 Queen's Gambit Declined | 5 | 80% |
| A30 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation | 5 | 60% |
| B12 Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense | 6 | 58% |
Best for Black
| Opening | Games | White’s score |
|---|---|---|
| B22 Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Barmen Defense | 5 | 10% |
| A45 Indian Defense: Accelerated London System | 5 | 20% |
| B23 Sicilian Defense: Closed | 5 | 40% |
| B12 Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense | 6 | 58% |
Openings with at least 5 games.
Rarest openings of the round
B04 Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Larsen Variation
1game in the event so far
A59 Benko Gambit
1game in the event so far
A61 Benoni Defense
1game in the event so far
Pieces
8,366
pawn moves, 28%
5,466
knight moves, 18%
4,749
bishop moves, 16%
4,861
rook moves, 16%
3,652
queen moves, 12%
3,090
king moves, 10%
Captured and surviving
| Piece | Captured | Still on the board at the end |
|---|---|---|
| pawns | 2,872 | 53% |
| knights | 1,188 | 24% |
| bishops | 1,071 | 31% |
| rooks | 737 | 53% |
| queens | 412 | 50% |
Checkmates
23on the board
12 by White, 11 by Black
| Mating piece | Games |
|---|---|
| Queen | 16 |
| Rook | 5 |
| Bishop | 1 |
| Knight | 1 |
| Pawn | 0 |
The mating piece is read from the final position.
Fastest mates
- Move 15, mate with the queenCM Ruben Abraham Ulloa Castillo PAN 21781againstMarc Delrieu VAN 15640
- Move 18, mate with the queenSaidou Koita BUR 17070againstFM Ruslan Sezdbekov KGZ 22161
- Move 26, mate with the queenMchangama Omar COM 17010againstFM Kohei Yamada JPN 22031
- Move 29, mate with the rookGM Levan Pantsulaia GEO 24921againstPetros Olana Bulcha ETH 19340
- Move 31, mate with the rookFM Quinn Cabralis TTO 22691againstTonutonu Donald TGA 14660
Board heatmap
a8
b8
c8
d8
e8
f8
g8
h8
a7
b7
c7
d7
e7
f7
g7
h7
a6
b6
c6
d6
e6
f6
g6
h6
a5
b5
c5
d5
e5
f5
g5
h5
a4
b4
c4
d4
e4
f4
g4
h4
a3
b3
c3
d3
e3
f3
g3
h3
a2
b2
c2
d2
e2
f2
g2
h2
a1
b1
c1
d1
e1
f1
g1
h1
Darker means more moves, on a square-root scale.
Busiest squares
- d41,168
- d51,125
- e4983
- f6954
- f3943
Quietest square with any traffic: h1, 105.
Where the pieces went in the finished games of the round.