Zukertort Opening: Dutch Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,777,773 games: White 50.1% / Draw 5.3% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 538,734539K | ||
| 401,201401K | ||
| 226,980227K | ||
| 191,842192K | ||
| Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit | 136,171136K | |
| 104,216104K | ||
| 71,47471K | ||
| 66,60167K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.47 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. g3 g6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 341K | |
| 1400–1799 | 586K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 350K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,907 |
Master games
- Radjabov, T. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Radjabov, T. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Grischuk, A. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Jakovenko, D. – Giri, A.
- Radjabov, T. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
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: Dutch Variation (ECO A04, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 f5 (1 move).
In 1,777,773 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 44.6% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 30% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit and Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit Deferred.
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: Dutch Variation
2. e4 (Zukertort Opening: Lisitsyn Gambit) scores best for White: 55.6%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 42.3% of 136K games. The most played answer, 2. d4, scores lowest: 51.4% in 539K games. Stockfish's first choice is 2. g3.
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: Dutch Variation has stayed between 0.064% and 0.078% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.072% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.064% | 22,926 |
| 2017 | 0.073% | 39,924 |
| 2018 | 0.077% | 60,233 |
| 2019 | 0.078% | 97,487 |
| 2020 | 0.073% | 213,184 |
| 2021 | 0.064% | 249,293 |
| 2022 | 0.065% | 245,836 |
| 2023 | 0.065% | 243,348 |
| 2024 | 0.068% | 242,675 |
| 2025 | 0.072% | 250,391 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.075% | 81,721 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening: Dutch Variation (A04)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-dutch-variation