Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
1,805,138 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 418,797419K | ||
| 392,609393K | ||
| 391,735392K | ||
| 163,067163K | ||
| 114,418114K | ||
| 99,12399K | ||
| 80,56181K | ||
| 35,11135K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 5, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.05 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... Nf6 3. g3 Nc6 4. d4 Bf5 5. Bg2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 961K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 982K | |
| 2200 and up | 157K | |
| Masters, over the board | 413 |
Master games
- Grischuk, A. – Caruana, F.
- Grischuk, A. – Giri, A.
- Grischuk, A. – Karjakin, S.
- Grischuk, A. – Karjakin, S.
- Grischuk, A. – Anand, V.
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: Old Indian Attack (ECO A06, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 2. d3 (2 moves).
In 1,805,138 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 45.7% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 23% 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: Old Indian Attack
The most played answer, 2…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 49.5%, with Black winning 46.7% and White 47.7% of 419K games. Of the main answers, 2…e6 scores lowest: 45.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…Nf6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Old Indian Attack dipped to 0.058% of Lichess games in 2017 and has recovered since: 0.083% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.07% | 24,951 |
| 2017 | 0.058% | 32,180 |
| 2018 | 0.063% | 49,787 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 75,633 |
| 2020 | 0.059% | 173,966 |
| 2021 | 0.066% | 256,878 |
| 2022 | 0.068% | 256,137 |
| 2023 | 0.069% | 260,682 |
| 2024 | 0.074% | 265,077 |
| 2025 | 0.083% | 288,544 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.082% | 90,031 |
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: Old Indian Attack (A06)”. Lichess data as of 5 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-old-indian-attack