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Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense

101K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Tough Sell
Black Expected Score46.0%Range (90% confident): 45.7% – 46.2%Based on 101K games
0%46.0%100%
Range (90% confident): 45.7% – 46.2%
Outcome Distribution
43.7%4.5%51.8%
Win
Draw
Loss
1...a5
Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense
Analyzen=101K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness96%
Draw Rate4.5%

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

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 46.0% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 45.7% and 46.2%), based on 101K Lichess games.

Black Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 40% → 45%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 40.2% win rate (10,370 games)
  • 1000-1199: 41.3% win rate (9,558 games)
  • 1200-1399: 43.6% win rate (11,346 games)
  • 1400-1599: 42.6% win rate (13,344 games)
  • 1600-1799: 44.1% win rate (13,029 games)
  • 1800-1999: 44.8% win rate (11,863 games)
  • 2000-2199: 44.8% win rate (11,417 games)
  • 2200-2499: 46.5% win rate (13,292 games)
  • 2500+: 44.8% win rate (7,021 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (46%), worst in Classical (35%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 46.4% win rate (7,076 games)
  • Bullet: 45.9% win rate (46,848 games)
  • Blitz: 42.1% win rate (36,154 games)
  • Rapid: 38.3% win rate (10,519 games)
  • Classical: 35.3% win rate (643 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: 52.9% expected score (51 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.0% expected score (2,530 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 43.6% expected score (5,321 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 40.8% expected score (2,411 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (57 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.8% expected score (193 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.3% expected score (2,375 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (5,042 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 40.6% expected score (1,871 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 44.3% expected score (77 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 53.4% expected score (581 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.8% expected score (3,419 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (5,306 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 42.7% expected score (1,918 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 40.7% expected score (122 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.0% expected score (1,404 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.6% expected score (4,057 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.4% expected score (5,885 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 42.2% expected score (1,770 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 35.2% expected score (228 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 38.3% expected score (1,238 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.2% expected score (4,876 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 45.4% expected score (5,395 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 43.7% expected score (1,400 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 35.6% expected score (120 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.7% expected score (947 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (6,098 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (4,063 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 40.1% expected score (720 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 47.3% expected score (35 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 51.5% expected score (909 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 48.1% expected score (7,070 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 44.0% expected score (3,116 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 38.6% expected score (319 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 54.3% expected score (1,393 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (10,145 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (1,650 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (103 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 43.1% expected score (360 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (6,278 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (376 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (7 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: Ware Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense win rate?

The Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 51.8% (90% CI: 51.6%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 101K rated games from Lichess.

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

The Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 54.3% win rate for white (9.6K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

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

Rapid (55.1%) outperforms Bullet (50.5%) by 4.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense?

The Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a sharpness score of 95.5 (very decisive), meaning 95.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

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

At 0-999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 53.0% (90% CI: 52.2%-53.8%) win rate for white, based on 10K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 6.8% draw rate.

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

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 54.3% (90% CI: 53.4%-55.1%) win rate for white, based on 9.6K Lichess games. Average game length is 31 moves with a 4.4% draw rate.

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

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 52.5% (90% CI: 51.7%-53.2%) win rate for white, based on 11K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.9% draw rate.

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

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 53.4% (90% CI: 52.7%-54.1%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 4.0% draw rate.

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

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 52.3% (90% CI: 51.6%-53.1%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 35 moves with a 3.6% draw rate.

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

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 51.4% (90% CI: 50.6%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 12K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

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

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.1%-51.6%) win rate for white, based on 11K Lichess games. Average game length is 38 moves with a 4.3% draw rate.

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

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.3%-49.8%) win rate for white, based on 13K Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 4.5% draw rate.

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

At 2500+ Elo, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 49.4% (90% CI: 48.4%-50.4%) win rate for white, based on 7.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 42 moves with a 5.8% draw rate.

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

In UltraBullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 51.4% (90% CI: 50.5%-52.4%) win rate for white (7.1K Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.2%.

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

In Bullet games, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 50.5% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.9%) win rate for white (47K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.6%.

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

In Blitz games, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 52.6% (90% CI: 52.2%-53.0%) win rate for white (36K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.3%.

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

In Rapid games, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 55.1% (90% CI: 54.3%-55.9%) win rate for white (11K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.6%.

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

In Classical games, the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense has a 57.5% (90% CI: 54.3%-60.7%) win rate for white (643 Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.2%.

Is the Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense a good opening?

The Zukertort Opening: Ware Defense is statistically favors white with a 51.8% (90% CI: 51.6%-52.1%) 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.