Zukertort Opening 2. Nc3 Nc6
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Statistics from Lichess
223,838 games: White 47.7% / Draw 5.4% / Black 46.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 103,719104K | ||
| 80,99181K | ||
| 9,6659,665 | ||
| 9,5579,557 | ||
| 9,5389,538 | ||
| 4,1374,137 | ||
| 1,5301,530 | ||
| 1,5191,519 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. d4 d5 4. Bf4 Bg4 5. Qd2 e6 6. Ne5 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Ne4
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 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 522K | |
| 1400–1799 | 311K | |
| 1800–2199 | 89K | |
| 2200 and up | 5,075 | |
| Masters, over the board | 9 |
Master games
- Gusev, A. – Menshov, V.
- Dimitrov, R. – Davletbayeva, M.
- Anikonov, D. – Yeritsyan, A.
- Hausrath, D. – Proehl, H.
- Rocha, S. – Leonardo, J.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Zukertort Opening (ECO A05, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. Nc3 Nc6 (2 moves).
In 223,838 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 46.8% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e4, in 46% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…Nc6
The most played answer, 3. e4, also scores best for White: 51.3%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 46.1% of 104K games. Of the main answers, 3. d4 scores lowest: 51.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. 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 lost ground since 2016: 0.0077% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.011%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 4,079 |
| 2017 | 0.0097% | 5,320 |
| 2018 | 0.0087% | 6,811 |
| 2019 | 0.0089% | 11,156 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 29,693 |
| 2021 | 0.0095% | 37,047 |
| 2022 | 0.0086% | 32,409 |
| 2023 | 0.008% | 30,076 |
| 2024 | 0.0081% | 29,092 |
| 2025 | 0.0077% | 26,871 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0074% | 8,095 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening (A05)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-4