Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
6,137,752 games: White 52.5% / Draw 4.8% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,510,2972.5M | ||
| 1,190,6541.2M | ||
| Nimzowitsch Defense: Declined Variation | 750,894751K | |
| 666,163666K | ||
| 248,003248K | ||
| 222,899223K | ||
| 218,938219K | ||
| 208,689209K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.50 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. d4 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. a3 Be7 6. Bf4 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, 45% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 5.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3M | |
| 2200 and up | 312K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,587 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Ding Liren – Rapport, R.
- Karpov, A. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Leko, P. – Bacrot, E.
- Kasparov, G. – Morozevich, A.
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: Black Mustang Defense (ECO A04, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 Nc6 (1 move).
In 6,137,752 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 42.7% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 41% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense
The most played answer, 2. d4, also scores best for White: 57.7%, with White winning 55.3% and Black 39.8% of 2.5M games. Of the main answers, 2. e4 scores lowest: 51.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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
The Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense holds steady at about 0.24% of Lichess games a year since 2016.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.24% | 86,754 |
| 2017 | 0.23% | 126,461 |
| 2018 | 0.23% | 182,953 |
| 2019 | 0.24% | 302,300 |
| 2020 | 0.24% | 704,701 |
| 2021 | 0.23% | 914,210 |
| 2022 | 0.23% | 872,546 |
| 2023 | 0.23% | 882,557 |
| 2024 | 0.24% | 857,034 |
| 2025 | 0.24% | 845,809 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.24% | 262,355 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening: Black Mustang Defense (A04)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-black-mustang-defense