The average resignation comes on move 29.0 — and 25.6% of resignations land before move 20. Here is when games are really decided at each rating and speed.
Source Lichess·Games 828,000,879·Covering 2023-12 to 2025-11·Updated January 2026
Resignation Move = the move number when a player resigns. Red = quick resignations (before move 20). Green = long games (after move 50).
Players at 2500+ resign 9.7 moves later than at 0-999.
25.6% of resignations happen before move 20, while 8.6% occur after move 50.
Later resignations at higher ratings: move 21.8 to 31.5
| Time Control | Avg. Move | Games |
|---|---|---|
UltraBulletQuickest | 22.2 | 290,037 |
Bullet | 25.5 | 177,416,719 |
Blitz | 29.9 | 474,401,638 |
Rapid | 30.1 | 169,337,197 |
ClassicalLongest | 30.4 | 6,555,288 |
On average, players resign on move 29.0 in Lichess games played December 2023 to November 2025. 25.6% of resignations happen before move 20 (quick losses), while 8.6% occur after move 50 (long battles). Higher-rated players tend to resign 9.7 moves later as games require more precision to convert advantages.
On average, players resign around move 29 based on 828M Lichess games. 25.6% of resignations happen before move 20 (quick losses), while 8.6% occur after move 50 (long battles).
Yes. At 2500+, players resign around move 31.5; at 0-999, around move 21.8.
At 0-999, players resign at move 21.8 on average—9.7 moves earlier than 2500+. At lower ratings it is worth playing on — opponents do blunder it back. Higher up it is usually over, so spend the time on the next game.
Yes. Players resign earliest in UltraBullet, around move 22.2, and latest in Classical, around move 30.4.
25.6% of resignations happen before move 20 and 8.6% after move 50. The remaining 65.8% come between moves 20 and 50.
This rests on 828M games that ended in a resignation, from Lichess. Set the rating and the clock to your own to see your level; the fewer games behind a band, the more the figure moves.