Chen posted a score of 100.54 points, while Japan's Hanyu had 94.85 today in the Rostelecom Cup at the Megasport Arena.

Dmitri Aliev, of Russia, came out strong in his Grand Prix debut to place third in the first phase of the competition.

Skating to Nemesis, Chen nailed a quad Lutz+triple toe combo and followed up with a quad flip and somewhat shaky triple Axel, as well as two level-four spins and level four footwork to score a season’s best of 100.54 points. 

"I am happy with the scores that I got and happy that I did a fairly clean programme that early in the season," he said. 

"I definitely have a lot of work going into the [Olympic] Games et cetera, but I am happy with what I did and I just need to keep my mind straight and keep working hard,", the 18-year-old said.

Hanyu, who skated last out of the 12 men, stepped out of his opening quad loop that was under-rotated but recovered to hit a brilliant triple Axel. 

The world champion then fell on the back end of his quad toe-triple toe combination, earning 94.85 points. 

"I’ve competed in Moscow six and seven years ago and it was here that I won my first Grand Prix event, so I have good memories," the two-time world champion said.

"Today I made some mistakes in my short programme, but overall it didn’t feel bad. 

"I hope I will skate better tomorrow.”

Aliev, the 2017 world junior silver medallist, turned in a clean performance to Masquerade Waltz that included a triple Lutz-triple toe, quad toe and a triple Axel. 

Aliev picked up a personal best score of 88.77 points. 

"The only thing that didn’t work today is the Lutz that was planned as a quad," he said. 

"I think I rushed it and I was a little nervous. 

"I have to get used to this atmosphere and do my job, though."

Two-time Russian world champion Evgenia Medvedeva holds top spot in the women's competition after the short skate and is followed by Italy's Carolina Kostner and Japan's Wakaba Higuchi.

American siblings Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani lead Russia's Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev by less than a point after the ice dance short programme.

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, another Russian duo, are third. 

Russia's strong performance carried over to the pairs where Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov lead after a short programme highlighted by a high triple twist lift and her light landing of a triple loop throw. 

Compatriots Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, the 2014 Olympic silver medallists, are five points behind after she fell on the side-by-side triple toeloop.

Italy's Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek are in third.