Zukertort Opening: Slav Invitation
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Statistics from Lichess
3,807,711 games: White 50.6% / Draw 5.6% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,075,6611.1M | ||
| 931,720932K | ||
| 711,019711K | ||
| 444,837445K | ||
| 199,568200K | ||
| 139,719140K | ||
| 137,610138K | ||
| 98,31298K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 Bg4 4. d4 Nf6 5. h3 Bxf3 6. gxf3 Nbd7
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 49% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 859K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 466K | |
| Masters, over the board | 343 |
Master games
- Radjabov, T. – Topalov, V.
- Wang, H. – Topalov, V.
- Howell, D. – Kuzubov, Y.
- Speelman, J. S. – Dreev, A.
- Nihal, S. – Liang, 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: Slav Invitation (ECO A04, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 c6 (1 move).
In 3,807,711 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.6%, Black 43.8% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 28% 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: Slav Invitation
2. g3 scores best for White: 55.1%, with White winning 52.2% and Black 42.0% of 932K games. The most played, 2. d4, scores 53.0% in 1.1M games, and 2. e4 scores lowest: 50.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 2. Nc3.
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: Slav Invitation has gained ground since 2016: 0.17% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.096%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.096% | 34,311 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 66,794 |
| 2018 | 0.14% | 111,856 |
| 2019 | 0.14% | 177,418 |
| 2020 | 0.13% | 382,043 |
| 2021 | 0.13% | 501,050 |
| 2022 | 0.14% | 530,441 |
| 2023 | 0.15% | 566,264 |
| 2024 | 0.16% | 580,524 |
| 2025 | 0.17% | 597,934 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.18% | 193,656 |
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: Slav Invitation (A04)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-slav-invitation