Flank openings

Zukertort Opening

1.Nf3

The Zukertort Opening starts with 1.Nf3 and is catalogued under ECO A04, in the flank openings half of the book. The catalog indexes 47 lines inside it, grouped into 41 named variations, and the position after those moves has 9 playable continuations to walk from here.

Opening repertoire map

Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.

Current position
Zukertort Opening
Popularity by Elo
Share of Lichess blitz, rapid, and classical games that continued with each move.
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Current setup

Move ideas

  1. 1.Nf3

    Develops a knight toward the center, where it controls e5 and d4.

    Idea: Add central influence while preparing to castle kingside.

  2. 1…d5

    Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.

    Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.

Book continuations

Waiting for Lichess game popularity.

9 moves
c4Réti Opening12 named lines · Réti Opening: Réti Accepted · Réti Opening: Advance VariationAdvances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.g3King's Indian Attack10 named lines · King's Indian Attack: Pachman System · Zukertort Opening: Reversed GrünfeldAdvances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.b3Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation4 named lines · Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Norfolk Gambit · Zukertort Opening: Regina-Nu GambitAdvances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.d4Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation3 named lines · Queen's Pawn Game: Anti-Torre · Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Rubinstein AttackAdvances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.e3Zukertort Opening3 named lines · Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 · Zukertort Opening: Pachman GambitAdvances to e3 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.a4Zukertort Opening: The Potato1 named lineAdvances the a-pawn to gain queenside edge space and control new squares.Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.d3Zukertort Opening: Old Indian Attack1 named lineAdvances to d3 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Nc3Zukertort Opening: Reversed Mexican Defense1 named lineDevelops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game.Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Rg1Zukertort Opening: Ampel Variation1 named lineRepositions the rook to g1, where it influences a new part of the board.Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.

Named variations

Each line below is an indexed entry under Zukertort Opening. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.

17 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.

Openings from the same volume

ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Zukertort Opening.