The Zukertort Opening is 1.: the knight comes out before any pawn and covers d4 and e5. On Lichess (September 2026 data, N = 547,843 games between players rated 900 to 1700), you score 50.8% with it. Against , strong players follow up with 2. and 3., putting the bishop on the long diagonal, and castle on move 4.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
41 named lines in this family; 2 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, close to 4 in 10 opponents reply , followed by (12 in 100) and (9 in 100). Among Lichess players rated 2200+, the top reply is , at 35 in 100; at your level only 8 in 100 pick it. After , the gap is in your own move: players at your level prefer 2. (34 in 100), while strong players go for 2. (35 in 100) or 2. (31 in 100). After 2. , the bishop goes to g2 in 93 of every 100 games at your level.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.2% | 52.3% | 31.9% | 46.6% | |
| 12.4% | 51.2% | no data | no data | |
| 9.2% | 52.5% | 4.1% | no data | |
| 8.4% | 51.0% | 34.5% | 38.7% | |
| 6.6% | 50.2% | 10.7% | 8.6% | |
| 5.7% | 51.9% | 4.1% | 1.3% | |
| no data | no data | 5.1% | 2.0% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 1.0% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33.8% | 51.5% | 18.7% | 4.6% | |
| 19.6% | 52.7% | 35.4% | 37.8% | |
| 13.4% | 50.8% | no data | no data | |
| 10.9% | 52.1% | 31.1% | 48.4% | |
| 6.0% | 50.7% | 1.4% | no data | |
| 4.8% | 47.6% | 3.8% | 1.2% | |
| no data | no data | 7.3% | 7.6% | |
| no data | no data | no data | 0.4% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.7% | 52.0% | 47.9% | 32.5% | |
| 19.3% | 53.2% | 19.6% | 30.1% | |
| 17.0% | 51.2% | no data | no data | |
| 8.8% | 54.6% | 9.1% | 3.6% | |
| 6.0% | 53.4% | no data | no data | |
| 3.9% | 53.1% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 8.9% | 11.5% | |
| no data | no data | 5.2% | 9.9% | |
| no data | no data | 4.8% | 11.3% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93.3% | 52.3% | 85.0% | 75.3% | |
| 2.3% | 44.9% | 11.7% | 19.6% | |
| 1.9% | 54.0% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 47.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.5% | 36.0% | 0.8% | 5.1% | |
| no data | no data | 1.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96.4% | 51.7% | 97.5% | 100.0% | |
| 1.5% | 47.0% | 0.6% | no data | |
| 1.1% | 50.0% | 1.2% | no data | |
| 0.5% | 57.1% | no data | no data | |
| 0.4% | 65.9% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.1% | no data |
The line strong players repeat most is 2. 3. 4. 5.. It heads for a king castled behind a bishop on g2, and a pawn on d4 that arrives once development is done. You don't touch a center pawn until move 5.
1. covers d4 and e5 without committing a pawn. 2. clears g2, and 3. puts the bishop there, on the long diagonal from h1 to a8. Notice one detail: the knight on f3 sits on that same diagonal, in front of the bishop. For now the bishop only reaches f1, h1, f3 and h3; once the knight leaves f3, it sees e4, d5 and b7. Among strong players, the bishop ends up on g2 in half of all games with 1.; the next most common home is e2, in 16 of every 100.
Black mirrors the setup: and put Black's bishop on the matching diagonal, also blocked by the knight on f6. With your knight and bishop developed, f1 and g1 are empty, so 4. comes right away: close to 9 in 10 strong players castle in that position, and Black answers the same way with . The g2 bishop now stands in front of your king and guards h3 and f1.
With the king safe, 5. stakes a claim in the center. The pawn is protected by the f3 knight and the queen, it controls c5 and e5, and by vacating d2 it opens the c1 bishop's diagonal toward g5 and h6. Strong players choose it in 39 of every 100 games at that point. That's the order: develop and castle first, then take the center.
At your level, after , the most common move is 2., and 2. shows up in only 20 of every 100 games. The reply you'll face most is , and the same setup still works: d5 lies on your g2 bishop's diagonal, behind the f3 knight.
Plan played in 52% of the 651 over-the-board games rated 2300+ with this structure.
Online, 2200+: 50.1% of 46,732. Over the board, 2300+: 51.9% of 651; the alternative, : 16.3% and 15.2%; the alternative, : 9.1% and 5.8%; the alternative, : 5.2% and 3.8%; the alternative, : 3.9% and 6.6%.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 143,874 | 34.6% | |
| 49,740 | 35.4% | |
| 17,681 | 47.5% | |
| 8,387 | 84.8% | |
| 7,386 | 97.5% | |
| 7,687 | 88.1% | |
| 6,743 | 89.5% | |
| 5,969 | 39.3% |
After , 2., the Tennison Gambit, is a mistake: it gives up a pawn. hits your knight, 3. saves it and eyes e4, but defends, and after 4. 5. you're still a pawn down. 13 in 100 players try it. At your level opponents rarely punish it: you score 54 out of 100, more than with 2..
13 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.6%; scores 52.3%.
Against , 2. is a mistake: the e5 pawn is undefended and you let it go. After 3. 4. 5., you have an ordinary opening with pawns on e4 and e5 and no edge. 17 in 100 players choose it. You score 53 out of 100; with 2., 58.
17 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.4%; scores 57.6%.
An inaccuracy. After 2. , 3. hits nothing undefended and gives Black a target: kicks the bishop, 4. 5. attacks your knight, and 6. leaves it on the rim. You score 54 out of 100; with 3., which attacks d5, 57.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.6%; scores 57.3%.
Against , 2. is a mistake: you skip the free pawn, and kicks your knight. After 3. 4. , Black has pawns on d5, e4 and f5, and your knight is stuck on the rim. 5. eyes f5, which only the c8 bishop defends. You score 50 out of 100; with 2., 58.
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.7%; scores 57.6%.
Against , 2. is a mistake: attacks your knight, and 3. retreats it to d2, where it blocks the c1 bishop. After 4. 5., Black's pawn chain on c6, d5 and e4 cramps you. You score 50 out of 100, against 58 with 2..
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.3%; scores 57.6%.
Against , 2. is a mistake: it lets protect the pawn you could have won with 2.. After 3. 4. , Black has pawns on e5 and d5 and both knights out, and 5. opens the center. You score 53 out of 100; with 2., 58.
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.2%; scores 57.6%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 201,271 | ||
| Not castled | 96,114 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 86,097 |
| 49,447 | ||
| Not castled | 42,118 | |
| 25,957 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 530 | ||
| Not castled | 40 | |
| Not castled | 22 | |
| 16 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 14 |
| 14 |
1. · 44,920 amateur games · 3 over the board
brings out a knight that covers d4 and e5; you score 51 out of 100.
1. · 37,143 amateur games · 11 over the board
opens a path for the f8 bishop; you score 53 out of 100.
1. · 27,940 amateur games · 13 over the board
covers e5 and c5 with a pawn; you score 52 out of 100.
1. · 27,134 amateur games · 73 over the board
fights for d4 from the queenside; you score 50 out of 100.
1. · 25,507 amateur games
leaves a pawn hanging: take it with 2.. Here you score 57 out of 100.
1. · 25,170 amateur games
puts a pawn on c6 that controls d5 and b5; 25,170 games at your level.
1. · 23,670 amateur games · 34 over the board
prepares Black's bishop on g7, the same setup as yours: 23,670 games.
1. 2. · 19,493 amateur games · 2 over the board
After , 2. puts a pawn where it controls e4; you score 50 out of 100.
1. · 19,265 amateur games · 19 over the board
clears b7 for the c8 bishop and its long diagonal; you score 53 out of 100.
1. 2. · 18,292 amateur games
After , 2. puts the pawn within the knight's reach; you score 47 out of 100.
1. 2. · 17,702 amateur games
After , 2. stands in front of your c2 pawn; you score 48 out of 100.
1. 2. · 10,680 amateur games · 2 over the board
After 2., attacks your knight on f3; 10,680 games at your level.
1. · 7,388 amateur games
takes the f6 square away from the g8 knight; you score 54 out of 100.
1. · 6,866 amateur games · 29 over the board
covers e4 with a pawn; 6,866 games, and you score 54 out of 100.
1. 2. · 5,840 amateur games
After 2., attacks your d4 pawn; 5,840 games at your level.
1. 2. · 3,831 amateur games · 15 over the board
After , 2. moves the e-pawn just one square; you score 46 out of 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · A08
2,614 amateur games · White's score: 54.5%
1. 2. 3. · A04
2,516 amateur games · White's score: 53.0%
1. · A04
2,463 amateur games · White's score: 52.0%
1. 2. · A05
2,134 amateur games · White's score: 50.2%
1. · A04
2,106 amateur games · White's score: 52.2%
1. 2. · A04
1,969 amateur games · White's score: 48.4%
1. · A04
1,114 amateur games · White's score: 57.4%
1. · A04
1,000 amateur games · White's score: 57.4%
1. 2. · A06
653 amateur games · White's score: 50.9%
1. · A04
548 amateur games · White's score: 58.6%
1. 2. 3. · A04
457 amateur games · White's score: 49.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · A05
399 amateur games · White's score: 49.4%
1. 2. · A06
238 amateur games · White's score: 46.0%
1. 2. · A04
169 amateur games · White's score: 54.1%
1. 2. 3. · A04
75 amateur games · White's score: 52.7%
1. 2. · A06
25 amateur games · White's score: 36.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A04
4 amateur games · White's score: 75.0%
1. 2. 3. · A05
1 amateur game · White's score: 100.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A06
1 amateur game · White's score: 0.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · A06