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Zukertort Opening win rate

White scored 51.5% (margin 0.6 points) in 30,254 rated games of the Zukertort Opening, ECO A04, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 17 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 1.9% of all games.

49.4%
46.3%
  • White wins 49.4%
  • Draws 4.3%
  • Black wins 46.3%

30,254 games

How often does White win in the Zukertort Opening?

White won 49.4% of the 30,254 games, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 46.3%. White's score of 51.5% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.3 points is inside the margin of 0.6 points.

Results of 30,254 Zukertort Opening games, 1 September 2026.
ResultGamesShare
White wins14,93549.4%
Draws1,3164.3%
Black wins14,00346.3%

Does the Zukertort Opening score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 2000 and above (53.9%) and lowest at under 1200 (50.1%). That spread of 3.8 points is larger than the two margins added together, so the score does differ between these rating bands.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the Zukertort Opening most often relative to their other openings, in 2.5 percent of their games.

White's score in the Zukertort Opening by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating bandGamesShare of the bandWhite scoreMargin (points)
under 12005,9022.2%50.1%1.2
1200 to 15999,8201.7%51.0%1.0
1600 to 199910,6601.8%52.0%0.9
2000 and above3,8722.5%53.9%1.5

How does the Zukertort Opening do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Zukertort Opening by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time controlGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Blitz23,44551.7%0.6
Rapid6,63551.1%1.2

What are the most played lines of the Zukertort Opening?

The most played named line is the Tennison Gambit, with 7,311 games and a White score of 50.0%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Zukertort Opening, most played first, 1 September 2026.
LineGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Tennison Gambit7,31150.0%1.1
Sicilian Invitation2,14549.6%2.1
Black Mustang Defense2,12551.7%2.1
Queen's Gambit Invitation1,98452.2%2.1
Pirc Invitation1,78450.2%2.3
Kingside Fianchetto1,69950.6%2.3
Slav Invitation1,46852.0%2.5
Ross Gambit1,23459.2%2.7
Queenside Fianchetto Variation1,14653.6%2.8
Old Indian Attack1,13153.1%2.8
Main line and less played lines4,08651.4%1.5

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Zukertort Opening?

White won 49.4%, drew 4.3% and lost 46.3% of 30,254 games, a White score of 51.5% with a margin of 0.6 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Zukertort Opening good for White?

At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.3 points is inside the margin of 0.6 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Zukertort Opening?

The Tennison Gambit was the most played named line, with 7,311 games, which is 24.2% of the Zukertort Opening games.

Sources

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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