Zukertort Opening: Reversed Mexican Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
677,895 games: White 46.6% / Draw 4.7% / Black 48.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 184,259184K | ||
| 165,314165K | ||
| 77,13077K | ||
| 70,58471K | ||
| 57,31357K | ||
| 52,30452K | ||
| 29,16529K | ||
| 21,62822K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... d4 3. Ne4 f5 4. Ng3 e5 5. e3 dxe3 6. dxe3 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1
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 better this line does for White: White scores 46% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 834K | |
| 1800–2199 | 302K | |
| 2200 and up | 41K | |
| Masters, over the board | 84 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Giri, A.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Danielian, E.
- Shytaj, L. – Ganguly, S.
- Li, D. – Bai, J.
- Mikhaletz, L. – Macieja, B.
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: Reversed Mexican Defense (ECO A06, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d5 2. Nc3 (2 moves).
In 677,895 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 48.7% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…Nf6, in 27% 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. Nc3
The most played answer, 2…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 52.0%, with Black winning 49.5% and White 45.5% of 184K games. Of the main answers, 2…e6 scores lowest: 49.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…d4.
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: Reversed Mexican Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.026% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.034%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.034% | 12,078 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,405 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,376 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 30,121 |
| 2020 | 0.026% | 75,370 |
| 2021 | 0.027% | 104,328 |
| 2022 | 0.027% | 102,089 |
| 2023 | 0.026% | 97,232 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 94,294 |
| 2025 | 0.026% | 90,180 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.025% | 27,831 |
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: Reversed Mexican Defense (A06)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-reversed-mexican-defense