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Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit

White Gambit

Source Lichess

You play
Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level
All Ratings
Edge at worst−0.4%

White isn't shown winning more often than losing at this level

how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident

Rating TrendPeak: +3.0% at 2500+
0-9992500+
Win%48.2%
Games13M
Breakpoint0-999first rating it isn't shown winning more than losing
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Does Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit work for White at All Ratings?

Snapshot

At All Ratings, Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit keeps White's wins running −0.4% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 13M Lichess games. The games don't show this gambit paying at this level. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.

RatingEdge at worstWhite WinDrawWhite LossGames
0-999−5.8%45.7%2.9%51.3%887K
1000-1199−1.5%48.0%2.6%49.4%1.5M
1200-1399−0.9%48.3%2.7%49.1%2.0M
1400-1599−0.8%48.2%2.8%48.9%2.5M
1600-1799+0.4%48.7%3.2%48.1%2.6M
1800-1999+0.8%48.7%3.6%47.7%2.2M
2000-2199+1.0%48.6%4.0%47.4%1.1M
2200-2499+1.5%48.6%4.5%46.9%412K
2500++3.0%48.9%5.9%45.1%41K
Full Opening StatsSee rating/time-control breakdowns for White on the opening stats page
Analyze Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit sound?

At some ratings. White comes out ahead at 1600+; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit win rate?

White wins 48.2% of Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit games, draws 3.2% and loses 48.6%. That rests on 13M games from Lichess.

What is the best rating to play the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit?

2500+. There White wins at least 3.0 more of every 100 games than it loses (90% confident), its highest Edge at worst.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit better in blitz or rapid?

Blitz. For White, the Edge at worst — how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident — is −0.8% in Blitz (5.0M games) and −2.0% in Rapid (1.1M games). In neither do the games show White winning more than losing.

Does the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit breakpoint vary by time control?

No. The first rating where the games do not show White coming out ahead is 0-999 in Bullet, 0-999 in Blitz, 0-999 in Rapid and 0-999 in Classical.

How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit?

The Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit is extremely sharp: 3.2% of its games are drawn, so 96.8% end with a winner.

Should I play the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit?

At 1600+, where White comes out ahead. At the other ratings we can see, the games do not show it paying.

How do I defend against the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit?

As Black, take the material, then develop fast, castle early, and trade pieces. Give the material back when doing so kills the attack. At 1600+, White still comes out ahead in these games; at the other ratings we can see, the games do not show the gambit paying.

How reliable is the Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit data?

This rests on 13M games from Lichess. Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and the table above shows how many games sit behind each rating and each clock — the fewer there are, the wider that range.