The Zukertort System is a set-up for White that works against almost any black formation: pawns on d4 and e3, bishop on d3, knight on f3 and the bishop fianchettoed on b2. Both bishops look at the opponent's kingside while the knight takes the e5 outpost. The opening is popular precisely as a system: there are no long lines to learn, only a plan to understand.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
The thin arrow on the board shows the next move.
You can also play the move on the board: pick the piece up and put it on the square.
The starting position. Play the opening out move by move - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The set-up is nearly always the same: d4, Nf3, e3, Bd3, b3, Bb2, 0-0. Hence its convenience - you make your seven moves and get a familiar position against most of Black's formations.
The key move is 5.b3. It is what separates the Zukertort from the Colle, where the bishop goes to d2 and plays a passive role. Here the bishop lands on b2 and rakes the whole board down the long diagonal.
The upshot is that both bishops are aimed at the kingside: one down b1-h7, the other down a1-h8. That is the attacking potential of the set-up.
The main idea is the knight on e5. It takes the central outpost, is backed up by f2-f4 and joins the attack directly.
Then the typical set: Qf3 or Qe2 swinging to the kingside, the rook to f1 after f4, and sometimes the b1 knight rerouted via d2 to f3 or g4.
The e3-e4 break opens the position at the right moment, once the pieces are ready. Do not rush: until the knight on e5 is anchored, the attack does not work.
The reply White likes least is the early 3...Bf5. Black develops the bishop before ...e6 and solves the main problem of such set-ups: the light-squared bishop is not shut in behind its own pawns.
The second working plan is the ...c5 break and pressure on d4. If Black trades the central pawns, the b2 bishop stares into thin air.
And third - do not let the knight settle on e5. The moves ...Nd7 or ...Qc7, trading that knight off, sharply reduce White's attacking potential.
Both are system openings, and both are played almost on autopilot. The difference is the c1 bishop: in the London it comes out to f4 before e3, in the Zukertort it goes to b2 via the fianchetto.
That also explains the difference in character. The London more often leads to a quiet positional struggle, the Zukertort to a kingside attack.
There is a third relative too - the Colle System with the bishop on d2. It is more solid but noticeably more passive: in that set-up the bishop barely takes part in the game.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
The typical position: the knight has taken the e5 outpost, both bishops are aimed at the kingside, and f2-f4 usually follows.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
The complete set-up with all the key moves: bishop on b2, knight on e5, both sides castled.
Black builds a mirror-image structure. White simply carries on with the set-up - that is the convenience of the system.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
A frequent nuisance for White: Black plays ...c4 with tempo and drives the bishop off its main diagonal. The usual answers are Be2, or preparing b3 in advance to strike at the c4 pawn.
The main pitfall of system openings in general: White plays seven memorised moves without looking at the board. If Black has managed ...Bf5 and ...c5, the set-up has to be adjusted, not repeated from memory.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
A set-up for White: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3, followed by Bb2 and 0-0. Both bishops are aimed at the kingside and the knight heads for the e5 outpost. It is played as a system, with no long theoretical lines.
By the move 5.b3 and where the c1 bishop goes. In the Colle it goes to d2 and plays a passive role; in the Zukertort it goes to b2, pressing down the a1-h8 diagonal at the opponent's kingside.
In the London the c1 bishop comes out to f4 before e3, while here it develops via a fianchetto to b2. The London more often leads to a quiet positional struggle, the Zukertort to a kingside attack.
The plan White likes least is an early ...Bf5, so that the bishop is not shut in behind the e6 pawn. Then comes the ...c5 break with pressure on d4, and the exchange of the knight that jumps to e5.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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