The Russian chess player in the game of the first round beat Ding Liren from China with black pieces.
In the second round, Nepomniachtchi will play with American Fabiano Caruana.
Recall that in 2021 Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament ahead of schedule and received the right to a match with the world champion Norwegian Magnus Carlsen.
The meeting ended with the victory of the Norwegian with a score of 7.5:3.5.
Earlier, Grandmaster Sergei Smagin, Vice President of the Moscow Chess Federation, spoke about Nepomniachtchi's chances at the 2022 Candidates Tournament.