When does the first capture happen?
The first capture lands on move 5.9 on average.
every level and clock · 3.1B games
Which openings capture first?
3019 openings · page 1 of 121
- 1Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit, Romford Countergambit7.9K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 2King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Boden Variation19K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 3Englund Gambit: Stockholm Variation574K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 4Englund Gambit: Main Line5.8M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 5Englund Gambit: Felbecker Gambit1.1M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 6Center Game: Charousek Variation7.0K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 7Sicilian Defense: Coles Sicilian Gambit8.8K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 8Center Game: Berger Variation1.3M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 9Englund Gambit: Zilbermints Gambit417K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 10Van Geet Opening: Novosibirsk Variation99K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 11Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit, Schlenker Defense61K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 12Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne Gambit2.0M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 13Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation, Modern Defense1.0M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 14Zukertort Opening: The Walrus307K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 15King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Neumann Defense2.9K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 16Bird Opening: Schlechter Gambit442K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 17Center Game: Hall Variation412K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 18Center Game: Normal Variation5.9M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 19Center Game: Paulsen Attack Variation2.4M gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 20Van Geet Opening: Reversed Scandinavian105K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 21Center Game: l'Hermet Variation4.3K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 22Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Lusophobe Variation8.1K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 23Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Elbow Variation12K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 24Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Banker Variation121K gamesMove 2.0first capture
- 25Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Correspondence Refutation41K gamesMove 2.0first capture
Earliest here: Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit, Romford Countergambit, move 2.0. Latest: Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid, move 17.7.
First capture by rating
The first capture lands on move 5.4 at <1000 and move 6.6 at 2500+.
Methodology
The first capture lands on move 5.9 on average. Scope: every level and clock. Sample: 3,107,247,403 analyzed games. Rated Lichess games played September 2023 to August 2026. TrueElo analysis of Lichess data. This is the weighted average over the opening records counted in the displayed distribution.
When citing manually, include the source URL and your access date.
https://trueelo.app/stats/first-bloodHow the figures are made
- How to read this page
- First blood is the move the first piece came off on, counted in full moves: move 5 is White's fifth move and Black's reply.
- Whose games these are
- 3B+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-09 to 2026-08). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt September 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "first blood" mean in chess?
First blood is the first capture of the game, and in Lichess games it lands on move 5.9 give or take 2.4. 42.6% of games see captures before move 5, 41.9% between moves 5-10, 13.6% between moves 10-15, and 1.9% remain peaceful past move 15.
Which chess openings have the earliest captures?
The bloodiest opening is Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit, Romford Countergambit with first capture averaging move 2.0. The quietest is Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid at move 17.7—a 15.7-move difference, against an average of move 5.9.
How often does the first capture come before move 10?
84.5% of games see first blood before move 10, and 15.5% not until move 10 or later. 42.6% see it before move 5.
Do lower-rated players capture earlier than higher-rated players?
Yes. 0-999 players see first blood earliest, at move 5.4, and 2500+ players latest, at move 6.6, a 1.2-move difference.
Does time control affect when first captures happen?
Yes. First blood comes earliest in UltraBullet, at move 5.1, and latest in Blitz, at move 6.0, a 0.9-move difference.
Why track first blood in chess openings?
First blood timing reveals an opening's tactical nature. With 3,107,247,403 Lichess games analyzed, we see captures range from move 2.0 (bloodiest) to move 17.7 (quietest). Peaceful openings (1.9% games with captures after move 15) let you build; sharp openings (42.6% before move 5) force early decisions.
When do most chess games see their first capture?
Most first captures happen before move 5, and the average is move 5.9. 42.6% of games see one before move 5, 41.9% in moves 5-10, 13.6% in moves 10-15 and 1.9% after move 15, with Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit, Romford Countergambit earliest at move 2.0.
What is the difference between peaceful and aggressive chess openings?
In Lichess games, aggressive openings like Grob Opening: Grob Gambit, Fritz Gambit, Romford Countergambit see first blood at move 2.0 and peaceful ones like Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov-Breyer-Zaitsev Hybrid at move 17.7, 15.7 moves apart. Choose by the game you want: 42.6% of games see action before move 5.