Zukertort Defense: Kingside Variation
1. Nf3 Nh6 2. d4 g6
The Zukertort Defense: Kingside Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO A04, reached after 1. Nf3 Nh6 2. d4 g6. It is a line of the Zukertort Defense. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 14 times by this move order. White won 79%, 0% were drawn and Black won 21%. The most popular continuation is 3. e4 (36% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.88 (Stockfish, depth 38; best line 3. e4 c6 4. Bf4 d5 5. Nc3 dxe4)
- ECO
- A04
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppppp1p/6pn/8/3P4/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 3- PGN
1. Nf3 Nh6 2. d4 g6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 3 | |
| 1500-1999 | 3 | |
| 2000+ | 8 | |
| All | 14 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. e4 | 5 (36%) | |
| 3. c4 | 3 (21%) | |
| 3. g3 | 3 (21%) | |
| 3. Bxh6 | 2 (14%) | |
| 3. e3 | 1 (7%) |
Master games
2 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 50%, draw 50%, Black 0%). The strongest:
- FM Nikita Shandrygin (2209) – GM Nihal Sarin (2687) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tue 18th Feb Early · 2025-02-18
- FM Maurizio Brancaleoni (2185) – Michel Liah Ferraz (2007) 1-0 · Titled Tue 10th Jun Late · 2025-06-10
Search all games of the Zukertort Defense: Kingside Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- lettal (2208) – aguilanegra (2125) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- Novals (2085) – gerard_manvussat (2105) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- GuachimingoKirby (2136) – rUasGoodasUthink (2049) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 300 + 0s
Comes from
Zukertort Opening (1. Nf3) 1. Nf3
More Zukertort Defense lines (all)
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.