Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit
Chess opening · ECO A06 · 3 half-moves
1. e4 d5 2. Nf3
The Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit is reached after 1. e4 d5 2. Nf3. It is Black's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Scandinavian Defense with 2. Nf3.
How often it is played
The Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit and its variations appeared in 0.59% of games — 17,693 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 76 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 49%, 3.0% were drawn and Black won 48%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at -1.03 — a clear edge for Black. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation | 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 | 3.0% |
| Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation | 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 | 0.84% |
| King's Knight Opening | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 | 15% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit, Brigg's Trap | 1. e4 d5 2. Nf3 dxe4 3. Ng5 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bf5 5. Qe2 Qd4 | 0.01% |
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