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Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense

108K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Tough Sell
Black Expected Score45.7%Range (90% confident): 45.4% – 45.9%Based on 108K games
0%45.7%100%
Range (90% confident): 45.4% – 45.9%
Outcome Distribution
43.3%4.6%52.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
1...b5
Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense
Analyzen=108K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness95%
Draw Rate4.6%

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 45.7% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 45.4% and 45.9%), based on 108K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Stable across ratings (~41%)

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 40.5% win rate (8,625 games)
  • 1000-1199: 41.7% win rate (7,185 games)
  • 1200-1399: 42.5% win rate (8,621 games)
  • 1400-1599: 43.1% win rate (11,614 games)
  • 1600-1799: 44.3% win rate (12,789 games)
  • 1800-1999: 44.8% win rate (15,178 games)
  • 2000-2199: 44.5% win rate (18,048 games)
  • 2200-2499: 43.2% win rate (20,853 games)
  • 2500+: 42.2% win rate (4,652 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in Bullet (45%), worst in Classical (37%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 43.5% win rate (1,212 games)
  • Bullet: 44.5% win rate (39,429 games)
  • Blitz: 43.2% win rate (52,985 games)
  • Rapid: 40.8% win rate (13,108 games)
  • Classical: 37.4% win rate (831 games)

Black% 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: 57.7% expected score (18 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 41.4% expected score (1,506 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.3% expected score (4,582 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 43.0% expected score (2,480 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 45.1% expected score (39 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.1% expected score (50 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 43.0% expected score (1,395 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 43.9% expected score (3,841 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 43.3% expected score (1,798 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (101 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.3% expected score (110 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 45.9% expected score (2,419 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (4,102 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 42.5% expected score (1,839 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 39.5% expected score (151 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 40.5% expected score (247 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (4,236 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.6% expected score (4,990 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 43.3% expected score (1,877 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 39.3% expected score (264 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 47.7% expected score (323 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (4,392 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (6,201 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.6% expected score (1,728 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 36.4% expected score (145 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 43.6% expected score (271 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (6,029 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.2% expected score (7,440 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.5% expected score (1,359 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (79 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 36.1% expected score (103 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (6,896 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (9,866 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (1,142 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 41.8% expected score (41 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 55.4% expected score (82 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.4% expected score (9,336 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (10,574 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.0% expected score (851 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 37.0% expected score (10 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (3,220 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (1,389 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 28.9% expected score (34 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Zukertort Opening
49.5%
Variations (5)
Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit
48.2%
Zukertort Opening: Queen's Gambit Invitation
51.7%
Zukertort Opening: Sicilian Invitation
49.9%
Zukertort Opening: Kingside Fianchetto
49.3%
Zukertort Opening: Slav Invitation
50.4%
Analyze Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate?

The Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 52.0% (90% CI: 51.8%-52.3%) win rate for white, based on 108K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense perform best?

The Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 54.5% win rate for white (7.2K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (56.3%) outperforms Blitz (51.4%) by 4.9%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense?

The Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a sharpness score of 95.4 (very decisive), meaning 95.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 53.7% (90% CI: 52.9%-54.6%) win rate for white, based on 8.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 5.7% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 54.5% (90% CI: 53.5%-55.5%) win rate for white, based on 7.2K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 54.1% (90% CI: 53.3%-55.0%) win rate for white, based on 8.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 3.4% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 53.3% (90% CI: 52.5%-54.0%) win rate for white, based on 12K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 52.4% (90% CI: 51.7%-53.1%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 51.4% (90% CI: 50.8%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 15K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 50.6% (90% CI: 49.9%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 18K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.9% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 50.7% (90% CI: 50.1%-51.3%) win rate for white, based on 21K Lichess games. Average game length is 39 moves with a 6.1% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 50.3% (90% CI: 49.1%-51.5%) win rate for white, based on 4.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 7.5% draw rate.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 53.9% (90% CI: 51.5%-56.2%) win rate for white (1.2K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.7%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 52.4% (90% CI: 51.9%-52.8%) win rate for white (39K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.1%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 51.4% (90% CI: 51.0%-51.7%) win rate for white (53K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.4%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 53.1% (90% CI: 52.4%-53.9%) win rate for white (13K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.1%.

What is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense has a 56.3% (90% CI: 53.4%-59.1%) win rate for white (831 Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.3%.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense a good opening?

The Zukertort Opening: Polish Defense is statistically favors white with a 52.0% (90% CI: 51.8%-52.3%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1000-1199 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.