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Openings › Title matches since 2021 › 2023 › Game 9

2023 match · Game 9

World Chess Championship 2023, game 9: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation

With club results by Lichess rating

Game 9: an 82-move draw, the longest of the match so far; Nepomniachtchi leads 5–4

The game

  • Match: 2023 World Championship match (Ian Nepomniachtchi – Ding Liren), Astana
  • Date: 21 April 2023
  • White: Ian Nepomniachtchi · Black: Ding Liren
  • Result: ½–½ (Draw)
  • Opening: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation (C65)
  • Length: 82 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 9: Ian Nepomniachtchi 5–4 Ding Liren

Ian Nepomniachtchi (White) and Ding Liren played game 9 of the 2023 World Championship match in Astana on 21 April 2023.

The game opened 1.e4 e5: the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation (C65).

The game was drawn after 82 moves.

After 9 games, Ian Nepomniachtchi led 5–4.

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 82.Nxf4+ · ½–½

The board shows the final position. All 82 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.