Sandy Brondello’s first move in the Liberty-Aces chess match worked perfectly.

She turned to her bench earlier than expected, using Marine Johannes in the first quarter and then watching as she scored 14 points in 11 minutes — including an off-balanced 3-pointer from one leg — to build a three-point halftime lead.

And then the effects of that move faded.

Nearly everything else backfired or flat-out failed in their 99-82 loss to the Aces in Game 1 on Sunday.

In a WNBA Finals with the league’s two superteams, the Aces provided a glaring reminder that they were the original one, the reigning championships who earned the No. 1 seed and returned all five starters.

It’d take more than one adjustment to silence them.

Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum scored 26 points, while MVP finalist A’ja Wilson added 19 in front of celebrities that included Tom Brady, Raiders owner Mark Davis and a handful of Nets players at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

Breanna Stewart compiled 21 points, but the Liberty’s defense crumbled and allowed their most points in 2023.

Still, the Liberty led by three points at halftime before its defense allowed 53 points in the final 20 minutes.