Zukertort Opening 1. Nf3 d5
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Statistics from Lichess
31,729,161 games: White 51.4% / Draw 5.5% / Black 43.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation | 10,455,08710.5M | |
| King's Indian Attack | 7,617,5747.6M | |
| Réti Opening | 5,747,6025.7M | |
| Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit | 2,314,0472.3M | |
| 1,813,6221.8M | ||
| Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation | 1,621,1271.6M | |
| Old Indian Attack | 1,152,5151.2M | |
| Reversed Mexican Defense | 447,612448K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. d4 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 O-O 6. cxd5 exd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 13.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 18.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 17.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 4.3M | |
| Masters, over the board | 89K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Carlsen, M. – Ding Liren
- Topalov, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Ding, L.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Zukertort Opening (ECO A06, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 (1 move).
In 31,729,161 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.4%, Black 43.1% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 33% of those games.
It branches into 8 named variations; the most played are King's Indian Attack and Réti Opening. In all, 44 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 1…d5
2. c4 (Réti Opening) scores best for White: 56.0%, with White winning 53.3% and Black 41.4% of 5.7M games. The most played answer, 2. d4, scores lowest: 53.1% in 10.5M games. Stockfish's first choice is 2. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line has stayed between 1.1% and 1.3% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (1.3% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.1% | 409,084 |
| 2017 | 1.2% | 651,766 |
| 2018 | 1.3% | 1,004,002 |
| 2019 | 1.3% | 1,585,782 |
| 2020 | 1.2% | 3,582,573 |
| 2021 | 1.1% | 4,480,260 |
| 2022 | 1.2% | 4,494,364 |
| 2023 | 1.2% | 4,582,748 |
| 2024 | 1.2% | 4,474,809 |
| 2025 | 1.3% | 4,492,861 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 1.3% | 1,432,944 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (8)
Transpositions
All 44 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- A07 King's Indian Attack 2 moves
- A06 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation 2 moves
- A09 Réti Opening 2 moves
- A06 Ampel Variation 2 moves
- A06 Old Indian Attack 2 moves
- A06 Pachman Gambit 4 moves
- A06 Reversed Mexican Defense 2 moves
- A06 The Potato 2 moves
- A14 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined 6 moves
- A07 Double Fianchetto 2 moves
- A07 Keres Variation 2 moves
- A07 Keres Variation 4 moves
- A07 Omega-Delta Gambit 2 moves
- A07 Sicilian Variation 2 moves
- A06 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Norfolk Gambit 3 moves
- A06 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Norfolk Gambit 4 moves
- A09 Advance Variation 2 moves
- A14 Anglo-Slav Variation 6 moves
- A12 Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, Bled Variation 4 moves
- A12 Anglo-Slav Variation, Bogoljubow Variation 3 moves
- A14 Anglo-Slav Variation, Bogoljubow Variation, Stonewall Line 7 moves
- A09 Réti Accepted 2 moves
- A09 Zilbermints Gambit 2 moves
- A06 Zukertort Opening: Regina-Nu Gambit 4 moves
- A14 Neo-Catalan Declined 7 moves
- A07 Keres Variation 3 moves
- A07 King's Indian Attack: Pachman System 5 moves
- A08 Sicilian Variation 3 moves
- A09 Michel Gambit 3 moves
- A09 Navara Gambit 3 moves
- A12 Bogoljubow Variation 3 moves
- A12 Bogoljubow Variation 3 moves
- A09 Réti Opening: Penguin Variation 3 moves
- A09 Réti Opening: Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit 4 moves
- A09 Réti Opening: Réti Gambit, Keres Variation 3 moves
- A14 Neo-Catalan Declined 7 moves
- A14 Neo-Catalan Declined 7 moves
- A08 King's Indian Attack: French Variation 3 moves
- A08 Sicilian Variation 5 moves
- A12 Bogoljubow Variation 4 moves
- A08 Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld 4 moves
- A08 Reversed Grünfeld 4 moves
- A08 Reversed Grünfeld 5 moves
- A08 Reversed Grünfeld 5 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening (A06)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-3