Bloodbath
27captures
Most captures in one game of at least 10 moves.
- Open section
- Round 8 of 11
- Thursday 24 September
- Samarkand
- Standings
- Round 7
- Women round 8
Round 8
41 of 412 games finished, 83% of them decisive. 1 team won 4–0. Tonga had the best team performance, 1378.
369 games still runningUpdated 24 Sept 2026, 14:24 CEST, 2 forfeits
Round 8 in numbers
41
games finished of 412
83%
decisive; White scored 52%
30
moves per game
68
moves in the longest game
Results
18
White wins, 44%
7
draws, 17%
16
Black wins, 39%
2 checkmates on the board, 3 draws by repetition, 0 stalemates, 2 draws before move 30 and 2 forfeits.
Accuracy and time
86.6%
average accuracy, as Lichess scores it
1.95
blunders per game
62
mistakes, as Lichess marks them
74
blunders, as Lichess marks them
1:35
average time per move
1%
of moves played with under 5 minutes left
Lichess analysed 38 of 41 finished games, with 141 inaccuracies, 62 mistakes and 74 blunders. Times come from the relay clocks of 41 games. The extra 30 minutes after move 40 showed up on move 41 or 42 for 0% of 2 players, and never for 6 players who went past move 45.
Game awards
Pacifist
11captures
- FM John Kojo Hasford GHA 19050againstMounguen Jose Evrard Koumba GAB 19731
- FM Rurik Capella CUR 1946½againstEssa Ndow GAM 1701½
Fewest captures in one game of at least 30 moves.
Marathon
68moves
The longest game of the round.
Quickest Kill
16moves
Shortest decisive game of at least 10 moves; forfeits do not count.
Checkmate on the Board
20moves
The earliest checkmate actually delivered, not a resignation.
Endgame Wizard
51moves
The longest endgame of the round, by Lichess's phase divider.
Hypertension
16moves
- ♙e5 vs ♟f6, moves 9–25Justin James LCA 19051againstTonutonu Donald TGA 14660
- ♙h4 vs ♟g5, moves 12–27Michel Zialor SEY 19671againstAron Pedro PLW 15980
Two pieces attacked each other for the longest time and nobody took.
Crosshairs
7attackers
- ♙ on c5 after 14… Ne4Vendiz Charles ANT 17010againstAaron Phiri MAW 19621
- ♟ on c4 after 18… Nd6Sanjay Gumireddy IOM 18900againstAlfene Ambdullah COM 17661
The piece with the most attackers and defenders pointed at it at one moment.
Separation Anxiety
37moves
The latest real queen trade: both queens captured within two plies of each other.
Strategic Downsizing
8moves
The earliest real queen trade in a game of at least 20 moves.
Shortest Draw
20moves
The shortest draw; before move 30 only repetition or stalemate is allowed.
David vs Goliath
433rating points
The biggest rating gap where the lower-rated player did not lose.
Not awarded yet: Bare King Optimist, Houdini.
Player awards
Longest Capture Spree
8captures in a row
The longest run of consecutive captures, both sides taking turns.
Longest King Hunt
3checks in a row
- moves 9–11Roger Rashid Canto BIZ0againstSamzu.o.h. Agbaje SLE 16361
- moves 40–42FM Salim Al Amri Salim Mohammed OMA 19510againstIM Providence Oatlhotse BOT 22301
Most consecutive checks by one side; a quiet move ends the hunt.
Do You Even Rook Lift Bro
14moves
The earliest rook to leave its back rank for the third rank or beyond, without capturing.
Castle Commitment Issues
24moves
The latest castling of the round.
Dadbod Shuffler
20king moves
Most king moves by one side in a game of at least 30 moves.
Sporty Queen
22squares
- in 9 queen moves, about 25 m at human scaleSouminta Yomvilath LAO 14951againstPrince Mika Bosco Baninga CAF 18360
- in 6 queen moves, about 25 m at human scaleFM John Kojo Hasford GHA 19050againstMounguen Jose Evrard Koumba GAB 19731
The original queen that travelled the most squares; promoted queens do not count. The metres are at human scale, a long stride per square.
Chicken of the Round
20.7% retreats
Highest share of moves that went backwards, over at least 25 own moves.
Parkour Master
10knight moves
- Arvin Nicholas LCA 17101againstTevita Sootanga TGA0
- Exel Ngoupet CAF0againstKongkham Douangphachanh LAO1
- FM Rurik Capella CUR 1946½againstEssa Ndow GAM 1701½
Most knight moves by one side.
Dark Mode Enthusiast
8captures
Most captures landing on dark squares by one side.
Wears Sunglasses
11captures
- Tau Satini TGA0againstSixtus Gabriel LCA 18651
- Bounthengnoy Sengphachan LAO1againstFrancois Gamba CAF 17210
Most captures landing on light squares by one side.
Peasant Uprising
7pawn captures
Most captures made by pawns by one side.
Center Stage
4arrivals
- king from e8Bounthengnoy Sengphachan LAO1againstFrancois Gamba CAF 17210
- bishop from f1Kuka Kyle KEN 2012½againstIM Chitumbo Mwali ZAM 2328½
The one piece that landed on d4, d5, e4 or e5 most often.
Square Tourist
17squares
The one piece that stood on the most different squares, its start square included.
Comfort Zone
50% of piece moves
- knight: 10 of 20 piece movesExel Ngoupet CAF0againstKongkham Douangphachanh LAO1
- rook: 12 of 24 piece movesKuka Kyle KEN 2012½againstIM Chitumbo Mwali ZAM 2328½
Highest share of one piece type among a side's piece moves, over at least 20 of them.
Pawn Storm
7pawn moves
- IM Fred Berend LUX 22310againstIM Jaloliddin Ilkhomi TJK 23911
- Yves De Billoez COD 19881againstSergio Pereira STP 20160
- Andrew Gadeanang NRU 17700againstAyden Dirks ARU 18001
Most pawn moves by one side while the game was still in its opening.
Professional Edger
41.9% edge moves
Highest share of moves from or to the a- and h-files, over at least 25 own moves.
Ratings, titles and ages
Giant Slayer
7.6% expected
The win with the lowest expected score by Elo, at most 25 %.
Untitled Hero
2328opponent rating
An untitled player beat or drew a titled one; the strongest opponent wins.
Upset of the Round
433rating points
The decisive game with the biggest rating gap won by the lower-rated player.
Clash of Titans
2738average rating
The game with the highest average rating.
Youngest Player
13years
The youngest player who played this round, by birth year.
Oldest Player
61years
- born 1965IM Fred Berend LUX 22310againstIM Jaloliddin Ilkhomi TJK 23911
- born 1965Carl Fleischer GRL 16400againstDeogracias Asumu Eyama Oye GEQ1
The oldest player who played this round, by birth year.
Generations
42years
The largest age gap between two opponents.
Not awarded yet: GM Scalp.
Clock awards
Longest Think
1:01:21on one move
Most time spent on a single move, from the relay clocks.
Zeitnot Addict
11moves under 5 minutes
Most moves played with less than five minutes on the clock.
Time Millionaire
1:25:05left at the end
Most time left at the end of a won game of at least 30 moves.
Increment Farmer
1:56gained after move 40
Most time banked after move 40 from the 30-second increments, in a game of 50 moves or more.
Time Not So Well Spent
22:18thinking, then a blunder
Longest think that ended in a blunder, as Lichess marks them.
Not awarded yet: Time Scramble Survivor, Flag Fall.
From the relay clocks of 41 of 41 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
99.6% accuracy
Highest Lichess accuracy in a game of at least 20 moves.
Cleanest Game
4combined centipawn loss
Lowest combined average centipawn loss of both players, at least 20 moves.
Wildest Game
162combined centipawn loss
Highest combined average centipawn loss of both players, at least 20 moves.
Biggest Blunder
47.5% win chance lost
The Lichess-marked blunder that cost the most winning chances.
Heartbreak
+11.62at the best
Lost or drew a game the engine had at +3.00 or better for them; the biggest lead wins.
Rollercoaster
2swings
- Tau Satini TGA0againstSixtus Gabriel LCA 18651
- Rashid Mansour Sharif TAN 17781againstIbrahim Mounkaila NIG0
- Tebou Tata Itaaka KIR1againstAruo Aloka MHL0
Most swings between a one-pawn lead for White and one for Black, in a game of at least 20 moves.
Ice Cold
35moves without a mark
Longest game of at least 30 moves in which one side got no inaccuracy, mistake or blunder mark from Lichess.
Not awarded yet: Swindle of the Day, Lucky Escape.
From Lichess’s computer analysis of 38 of 41 finished games. 3 more join when the round is updated the next evening. Inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders are the ones Lichess marks on the move.
Chess culture
Never Play f6
20% scored by all who tried
Ben Finegold says never push the f-pawn one square. These players did it by move 10 (f3 or …f6) and won anyway.
Pigs on the 7th
4moves
Both rooks on the opponent’s second rank, eating everything; the longest stay wins.
Not awarded yet: Royal Walkabout, Botez Gambit, Brilliant!!, Tal’s Dark Forest, 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 38 of 41 finished games; the rest look at every finished game.
Collections
En Passant
2en passants
- 20… fxg3CM Mabuza Mbongeni SWZ 18240againstFM Shuaau Muhammed MDV 22071
- 17. exf6FM Xavier Mompel Ferruz GEQ 23401againstEgon Mattaaq GRL0
Every en passant capture of the round.
Holy Hell
2left alone
- 23… g5, fxg6 e.p.Tau Satini TGA0againstSixtus Gabriel LCA 18651
- 24… f5, gxf6 e.p.Rashid Mansour Sharif TAN 17781againstIbrahim Mounkaila NIG0
En passant was on the board and the player left it alone. En passant is forced, allegedly.
Poisoned Pawn
1pawn grab
The queen grabbed the b-pawn (Qxb7 or …Qxb2) by move 15. Fischer’s favourite snack; the result tells whether it was poisoned.
Greek Gift
2sacrifices
- 11. Bxh7+CM Barthelemy Bongo Akanga Ndjila GAB 17950againstCM Bernard Anhwere GHA 19651
- 17… Bxh2+CM Barthelemy Bongo Akanga Ndjila GAB 17950againstCM Bernard Anhwere GHA 19651
The classic bishop sacrifice on h7 (or …h2): the bishop took the pawn with check.
Pawn Diamond
1diamond
Four pawns around an empty square: one below, two beside, one above. The first time for each player is listed.
Connect Four
1row of pawns
Four or more pawns side by side on one rank beyond their starting rank. The first row of each player is listed, the longest first.
Irish Pawn Centre
1Irish centre
Three pawns on one file, one behind the other. The first time for each player is listed.
Royal Court
1third queen
A third queen on the board.
Not awarded yet: Underpromotion, Mate Gallery, Family Fork, Shahrukh, Il Vaticano, Pawn Cube, The Hard One, Photo Finish.
The awards that list every case instead of crowning one, read from the position on every move; the overview counts them across the rounds. The Hard One, Il Vaticano, the pawn shapes and Royal Court may well stay empty for a round or two.
Match awards
Whitewash
1match
Won the match 4–0, forfeits included.
Team of the Round
1378performance
Highest performance over the four boards: average opponent rating plus 400 × (wins − losses) ÷ 4, all four played against rated opponents.
Marathon Match
126moves
The match whose four boards ran longest, in moves added together.
Sprint Match
126moves
The match whose four boards were over quickest, in moves added together; forfeits never count.
Bloodiest Match
71captures
The match with the most captures over its four boards.
Quietest Match
71captures
The match with the fewest captures over its four boards.
Theory Match
40½opening moves
The match that stayed in the book longest: the opening phases of its four boards added, in moves.
Endgame Match
37endgame moves
The match with the most endgame moves over its four boards.
Thrill Ride
2eval swings
The match with the most swings between a one-pawn lead for White and one for Black over its four boards; every board needs Lichess's full analysis.
Not awarded yet: Comeback Match, Slingshot, Treaty of Samarkand.
Rates over each team’s finished games of the round, four needed. The event-wide team awards, the category leaders and the board race are on the standings page.
Teams: style
Space Invaders
35.71per 100 moves
45 of 126 moves crossed the middle
Most moves into the opponent's half per 100 of the team's own moves.
Check, Please
2.5checks per game
10 checks in 4 games
Most checks given per game over the team's finished games.
The Late Knight Show
1per game
4 late knight moves in 4 games
Most knight moves from move 31 on, per game, over the team's finished games.
Chicken Nation
9.52retreats per 100 moves
12 of 126 moves went backwards
Most retreating moves per 100 of the team's own moves; castling never counts.
Forward March
8.06retreats per 100 moves
10 of 124 moves went backwards
Fewest retreating moves per 100 of the team's own moves.
Pawn Pushers
29.03pawn moves per 100 moves
36 of 124 moves
Most pawn moves per 100 of the team's own moves.
Favourite Piece
Knights 24.6 % Saint Lucia LCA31 of 126 moves Bishops 17.74 % Tonga TGA22 of 124 moves Rooks 16.94 % Tonga TGA21 of 124 moves Queens 11.11 % Saint Lucia LCA14 of 126 moves
For each piece, the team whose own moves have the highest share of it.
Wandering Kings
5.25king moves per game
21 king moves in 4 games
Most king moves per game over the team's finished games.
Safety First
8.25average castling move
castled in 4 of 4 games
Earliest castling on average, over the games in which the team castled at all.
Finishers
1checkmate
1 of 1 wins by checkmate on the board
1 of 4 wins by checkmate on the board
Most checkmates delivered on the board.
Not awarded yet: Promotion Party, Déjà Vu.
Teams: clocks
Deep Thinkers
1:43per move
120 moves timed in 4 games
Most seconds per move over the team's games with usable clocks.
Quick Draw
0:57per move
122 moves timed in 4 games
Fewest seconds per move over the team's games with usable clocks.
Zeitnot Nation
0% under five minutes
0 of 126 moves in 4 games
0 of 124 moves in 4 games
Highest share of moves played with under five minutes on the clock.
Time in the Bank
1:17:18left on average
over 4 games
Most time left on the clock after the last move, on average.
Over the relay clocks of 41 of 41 finished games; a team needs four such games.
Teams: engine
Precision Nation
91.8% accuracy
4 analysed games
Highest average Lichess accuracy over the team's analysed games.
Escape Artists
1game saved
the deepest hole -10.00
Most games won or drawn from a position the engine had at −3.00 or worse.
Over Lichess’s analysis of 38 of 41 finished games; a team needs four analysed games.
Notable games
Longest game
68moves
Bounthengnoy Sengphachan LAO1againstFrancois Gamba CAF 17210Shortest decisive game
16moves
GM Francesco Sonis ITA 25391againstGM Hannes Stefansson ISL 24250Shortest draw
20moves
FM Morales Carlos ESA 2244½againstIM Michael Jr. Concio PHI 2405½Fastest checkmate
20moves
Mate with the queenIM Fred Berend LUX 22310againstIM Jaloliddin Ilkhomi TJK 23911Bloodiest game
27captures
Bounthengnoy Sengphachan LAO1againstFrancois Gamba CAF 17210Quietest game
2captures
In 24 movesCM Mabuza Mbongeni SWZ 18240againstFM Shuaau Muhammed MDV 22071Longest stretch without a capture
20moves
Moves 1 to 20CM Mabuza Mbongeni SWZ 18240againstFM Shuaau Muhammed MDV 22071Longest endgame
51moves
Bounthengnoy Sengphachan LAO1againstFrancois Gamba CAF 17210Game phases
10
moves of opening
14
moves of middlegame
11
moves of endgame
Averages per game, with the phases split as Lichess splits them. 59% of the games reached an endgame; the first capture came on move 7.8 on average.
Endgames by type
| Endgame | Reached | At the end |
|---|---|---|
| Rook | 5 | 3 |
| Queen and rook | 3 | 1 |
| King and pawn | 1 | 0 |
| Queen | 1 | 1 |
| Bishop | 1 | 1 |
| Knight | 1 | 1 |
A rook endgame has nothing but kings, pawns and rooks left; the others likewise, as the Lichess puzzle tagger defines them. A game can pass through several types, so the first column adds up to more than the games.
Reached, and still there at the end
Each band runs from the games that reached the endgame to those that still had it on the last move; the rest went on into another type. One scale for both columns.
Tactics
574
captures, 14 per game
111
checks
59
castled kingside
7
castled queenside
3
games without castling
3
promotions, 0 under
2
en passant captures
Openings
First moves
- 1.e444%White scored 58%
- 1.d439%White scored 50%
- 1.c412%White scored 50%
- 1.f42%White scored 0%
- 1.Nf32%White scored 50%
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 | 5 | 30% |
| English Opening | 4 | 38% |
| Caro-Kann Defense | 3 | 100% |
| Queen's Gambit Declined | 3 | 67% |
| Queen's Pawn Game | 3 | 33% |
| French Defense | 2 | 50% |
| Indian Defense | 2 | 100% |
| Italian Game | 2 | 75% |
Best for White
Not enough games yet.
Best for Black
Not enough games yet.
Openings with at least 5 games.
Rarest openings of the round
B88 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Leonhardt Variation
1game in the event so far
D32 Tarrasch Defense
1game in the event so far
A40 Englund Gambit Declined
1game in the event so far
Pieces
754
pawn moves, 30%
446
knight moves, 18%
420
bishop moves, 17%
349
rook moves, 14%
284
queen moves, 11%
236
king moves, 10%
Captured and surviving
| Piece | Captured | Still on the board at the end |
|---|---|---|
| pawns | 249 | 62% |
| knights | 120 | 27% |
| bishops | 102 | 38% |
| rooks | 54 | 67% |
| queens | 49 | 44% |
Checkmates
2on the board
1 by White, 1 by Black
| Mating piece | Games |
|---|---|
| Queen | 1 |
| Rook | 0 |
| Bishop | 0 |
| Knight | 1 |
| Pawn | 0 |
The mating piece is read from the final position.
Fastest mates
- Move 20, mate with the queenIM Fred Berend LUX 22310againstIM Jaloliddin Ilkhomi TJK 23911
- Move 29, mate with the knightArvin Nicholas LCA 17101againstTevita Sootanga TGA0
The mates on a move axis
A dot per checkmate on the move it fell, filled for a mate by White, hollow for one by Black, the fastest in red.
The numbers
| Piece | Move | By | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | 20 | Black | IM Fred Berend – IM Jaloliddin Ilkhomi |
| Knight | 29 | White | Arvin Nicholas – Tevita Sootanga |
Board heatmap
Darker means more moves, on a square-root scale.
Busiest squares
- d4114
- d5113
- c694
- e593
- f385
Quietest square with any traffic: a8, 6.
Where the pieces went in the finished games of the round.