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Zukertort Opening

39 variations · 53M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Zukertort Opening is balanced for White at 51.7% expected score.

This opening produces roughly even results, with outcomes depending more on middlegame play than opening choice.

You play
Playable
Rating
Time
White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 51.7% – 51.7%Aggregated from 39 variations
0%51.7%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.7% – 51.7%
ContextOverall · n=53M
Outcome Distribution
49.7%3.9%46.4%
Win
Draw
Loss
1...d5
Zukertort Opening
Variations39
Games (Context)53M
Avg Length34 moves
Draw Rate3.9%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall

#1Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit DeferredTop Pick
1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 Nf6 3.e4
Min adv +15.2% · n=25K
58.1%
#2Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.d4
Min adv +13.7% · n=704K
57.0%
#3Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3
Min adv +4.8% · n=577K
52.5%
#4Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack
1.Nf3 d5 2.d3
Min adv +4.7% · n=1.9M
52.4%
#5Zukertort Opening: Santasiere's Folly
1.b4 d5 2.Nf3
Min adv +4.5% · n=58K
52.6%
#6Zukertort Opening
1.Nf3
Min adv +3.7% · n=4.5M
51.9%
#7Zukertort Opening: Double Fianchetto Attack
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.b3 Bg7 4.Bb2 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O
Min adv +1.8% · n=83K
51.2%
#8Zukertort Opening: Quiet System
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.e3
Min adv +0.6% · n=564K
50.5%
#9Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit
1.Nf3 f5 2.e4
Min adv -0.1% · n=253K
50.1%
#10Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit
1.e4 d5 2.Nf3
Min adv -0.4% · n=13M
49.8%

Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

What is the Zukertort Opening expected score for White?

Snapshot

Overall, the Zukertort Opening family has a 51.7% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.7% and 51.7%), aggregated from 39 variations and 53M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 47% → 52%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 46.9% win rate (2,965,832 games)
  • 1000-1199: 49.1% win rate (3,988,757 games)
  • 1200-1399: 49.3% win rate (5,716,627 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.3% win rate (7,782,847 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.5% win rate (8,999,843 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.8% win rate (9,153,240 games)
  • 2000-2199: 50.3% win rate (7,297,164 games)
  • 2200-2499: 51.0% win rate (5,571,369 games)
  • 2500+: 51.7% win rate (1,814,757 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (51%), worst in Classical (48%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 51.2% win rate (1,314,945 games)
  • Bullet: 50.1% win rate (26,726,729 games)
  • Blitz: 49.3% win rate (20,246,906 games)
  • Rapid: 48.8% win rate (4,814,587 games)
  • Classical: 47.9% win rate (187,269 games)

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999
1000-1199
1200-1399
1400-1599
1600-1799
1800-1999
2000-2199
2200-2499
2500+

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.2% expected score (13,497 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (904,565 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (1,405,767 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (635,501 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 45.1% expected score (6,502 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.5% expected score (43,533 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (1,472,345 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (1,825,953 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.8% expected score (630,015 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.6% expected score (16,911 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 49.0% expected score (100,735 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (2,294,558 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (2,512,702 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (777,609 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (31,023 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.3% expected score (233,103 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (3,293,172 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (3,308,390 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (896,726 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 49.0% expected score (51,456 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 52.0% expected score (353,574 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (3,952,065 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (3,797,604 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (850,414 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.5% expected score (46,186 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.6% expected score (338,622 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (4,601,837 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (3,544,753 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (642,775 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 53.9% expected score (25,253 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.9% expected score (157,230 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (4,359,234 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (2,485,863 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.1% expected score (286,924 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 58.0% expected score (7,913 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 56.2% expected score (65,008 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.2% expected score (4,200,643 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (1,214,381 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.3% expected score (89,607 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 55.9% expected score (1,730 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 59.0% expected score (9,643 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (1,648,310 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.5% expected score (151,493 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 57.9% expected score (5,016 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 54.6% expected score (295 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (39)

1
Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit, Brigg's Trap44K games
73.6%
2
Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit Deferred25K games
58.1%
3
Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld704K games
57.0%
Zukertort Opening: Drunken Cavalry Variation9.4K games
57.0%
Zukertort Opening: Ross Gambit2.2M games
55.5%
Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense108K games
54.4%
Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense101K games
54.1%
Zukertort Opening: Queen's Gambit Invitation4.2M games
53.8%
Zukertort Opening: Arctic Defense399K games
53.7%
Zukertort Opening: Shabalov Gambit299 games
58.2%
Zukertort Opening: Basman Defense144K games
53.4%
Zukertort Opening: St. George Defense188K games
53.3%
Zukertort Opening: Queenside Fianchetto Variation2.0M games
52.9%
Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense497K games
53.0%
Zukertort Opening: Slav Invitation3.1M games
52.6%
Zukertort Opening: Nimzo-Larsen Variation577K games
52.5%
Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack1.9M games
52.4%
Zukertort Opening: The Walrus204K games
52.5%
Zukertort Opening: Santasiere's Folly58K games
52.6%
Zukertort Opening: Dutch Variation886K games
52.2%
Zukertort Opening: Sicilian Invitation3.9M games
52.1%
Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation3.0M games
52.0%
Zukertort Opening4.5M games
51.9%
Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense2.8M games
51.8%
Zukertort Opening: Vos Gambit582K games
51.7%
Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto3.5M games
51.5%
Zukertort Opening: Double Fianchetto Attack83K games
51.2%
Zukertort Opening: Herrstrom Gambit204K games
50.7%
Zukertort Opening: Quiet System564K games
50.5%
Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit253K games
50.1%
Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan665 games
53.0%
Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit13M games
49.8%
Zukertort Opening: Reversed Mexican Defense1.2M games
49.7%
Zukertort Opening: The Potato16K games
49.9%
Zukertort Opening: Arctic Defense, Drunken Knight Variation9.2K games
49.2%
Zukertort Opening: Lemberger Gambit2.2M games
47.9%
Zukertort Opening: Speelsmet Gambit141K games
47.8%
Zukertort Opening: Ampel Variation5.7K games
47.7%
Zukertort Opening: Myers Polish Attack175 games
41.8%
Analyze Zukertort Opening PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Zukertort Opening win rate?

The Zukertort Opening family has a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.7%-49.7%) win rate for white, aggregated from 39 variations and 53M rated games from Lichess.

How many Zukertort Opening variations are there?

This analysis covers 39 Zukertort Opening variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Zukertort Opening perform best?

The Zukertort Opening family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.7% win rate for white (1.8M games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Zukertort Opening better in blitz or rapid?

UltraBullet (51.2%) outperforms Classical (47.9%) by 3.3% across all Zukertort Opening variations.

How sharp is the Zukertort Opening?

Zukertort Opening games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Zukertort Opening a good opening family?

The Zukertort Opening family is statistically balanced overall with a 49.7% (90% CI: 49.7%-49.7%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 39 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.