♟ Chess Opening Scores

Openings › Title matches since 2021 › 2021 › Game 1

2021 match · Game 1

World Chess Championship 2021, game 1: Ruy Lopez: Closed

With club results by Lichess rating

Game 1 drawn in 45 moves; level at 0.5–0.5

The game

  • Match: 2021 World Championship match (Magnus Carlsen – Ian Nepomniachtchi), Dubai
  • Date: 26 November 2021
  • White: Ian Nepomniachtchi · Black: Magnus Carlsen
  • Result: ½–½ (Draw)
  • Opening: Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88)
  • Length: 45 moves
  • Time control: each player 120 min for 40 moves, then 60 min for 20 moves, then 15 min for the rest of the game, plus 30 s a move from move 61
  • Classical games, score after game 1: Magnus Carlsen 0.5–0.5 Ian Nepomniachtchi

Ian Nepomniachtchi (White) and Magnus Carlsen played game 1 of the 2021 World Championship match in Dubai on 26 November 2021.

The game opened 1.e4 e5: the Ruy Lopez: Closed (C88).

The game was drawn after 45 moves.

After 1 game, the match was level at 0.5–0.5.

Club comparison: from the Ruy Lopez position, White scores 55.2% at Lichess rating 1500–1799 (2,199 games, Sep 2026 sample).

Game data: Lichess broadcasts · CC BY-SA 4.0

Replay the moves

After 45.Nc4 · ½–½

The board shows the final position. All 45 moves are listed below.

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Game data: Lichess broadcasts · CC BY-SA 4.0

How club players score with this opening

This game reached the position of our Ruy Lopez page (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5). White's score from that position (wins plus half the draws, divided by games) in rated Lichess games from the Sep 2026 sample, at every Lichess rating level:

  • Under 1200White scores 53.3%

    1,290 club games · White 53.3% · Black 46.7%

  • 1200–1499White scores 53.9%

    2,141 club games · White 53.9% · Black 46.1%

  • 1500–1799White scores 55.2%

    2,199 club games · White 55.2% · Black 44.8%

  • 1800–2099White scores 52.3%

    1,511 club games · White 52.3% · Black 47.7%

  • 2100+White scores 51.9%

    715 club games · White 51.9% · Black 48.1%

Club numbers: Lichess open database (CC0). Lichess ratings, not FIDE ratings. Observed results only: they say what happened in these games, not why.

Game data: Lichess broadcasts · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sources and credits

Game data: Lichess broadcast database (files of the match month), licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes by Chess Opening Scores: we picked the games of the match by both players' FIDE ids, the broadcast name and the match dates, drew the board with our own code, wrote the report from the game data with fixed sentences, counted the score from the finished games and added the opening name and ECO code from the free Lichess opening list and, where this game reached one of our opening pages, club statistics. The sections marked "Game data: Lichess broadcasts" are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Opening names: lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0), matched by position.

Player data: names and game results as published in the Lichess broadcast. To ask for a correction or removal, write to contact@chessopeningscores.com.