Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan
665 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.2%.
Measured over 665 games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 7.7 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 665 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 665
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.3%
- Draws
- 7.7%
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.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 1400-1599, 46.4% 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
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 59.1% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 57.7% expected score (31 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (21 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (117 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 23.7% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (50 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (330 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 41.8% expected score (29 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (49 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan scores 47.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.9% and 50.2% — from 665 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
- 665+ 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: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan win rate?
Playing the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan, Black wins 43.1%, draws 7.7% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 665 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan perform best?
The Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 48.7% (146 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan?
The Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan has a sharpness score of 92.3 (decisive), meaning 92.3% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.8%, draws 5.8% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 146 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 40.9%, draws 7.6% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.7%. It rests on 388 Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 41.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 53.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.0%. It rests on 107 Lichess games.
What is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 43.7%, draws 8.3% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 533 Lichess games.
Is the Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan a good opening?
The Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense, Chigorin Plan is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.1% of its games and loses 49.1%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.