Zukertort Opening: The Potato
16K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.5%.
Measured over 16K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 16K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 16K
- Best context
- 60.0% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 45.0% at 1400-1599 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 93.0%
- Draws
- 7.0%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 48.8% at 0-999, 51.5% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.0% expected score (411 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (724 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (427 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 45.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (376 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (1,199 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (361 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (34 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (430 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (1,033 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (554 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.7% expected score (33 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 54.8% expected score (61 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 45.0% expected score (587 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 45.8% expected score (1,103 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (688 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 34.8% expected score (28 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 57.4% expected score (46 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 53.0% expected score (511 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (1,048 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (339 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.6% expected score (90 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 56.3% expected score (1,111 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (1,790 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.1% expected score (202 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (9 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 53.5% expected score (13 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (442 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (863 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (104 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 57.3% expected score (321 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 60.0% expected score (544 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 60.2% expected score (43 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (564 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (285 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (23 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Zukertort Opening: The Potato scores 49.9% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.2% and 50.5% — from 16K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 16K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate?
Playing the Zukertort Opening: The Potato, White wins 46.4%, draws 7.0% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 16K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Zukertort Opening: The Potato perform best?
The Zukertort Opening: The Potato performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 59.2% (911 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Zukertort Opening: The Potato scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 49.4% in Blitz (8.6K games) against 47.7% in Rapid (2.7K games).
How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato?
The Zukertort Opening: The Potato has a sharpness score of 93.0 (decisive), meaning 93.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 42.8%, draws 5.9% and loses 51.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 46.8%, draws 3.7% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 46.1%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 44.2%, draws 3.7% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.1%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.0%, draws 4.5% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 51.1%, draws 4.3% and loses 44.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 46.9%, draws 4.8% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 55.0%, draws 8.4% and loses 36.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.2%. It rests on 911 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 28.0%, draws 51.7% and loses 20.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 885 Lichess games, which average 52 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 49.9%, draws 2.9% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 254 Lichess games.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 47.7%, draws 8.7% and loses 43.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.1%. It rests on 4.8K Lichess games.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 46.1%, draws 6.5% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 8.6K Lichess games.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 44.9%, draws 5.5% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 2.7K Lichess games.
What is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 35.6%, draws 18.0% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 118 Lichess games.
Is the Zukertort Opening: The Potato a good opening?
The Zukertort Opening: The Potato is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 46.4% of its games and loses 46.6%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.