Italian Game: Two Knights Defense 5. Nxe4 d5
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Statistics from Lichess
1,317,522 games: White 35.9% / Draw 4.8% / Black 59.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 650,574651K | ||
| 333,608334K | ||
| 159,779160K | ||
| 39,68540K | ||
| 38,04138K | ||
| 19,21819K | ||
| 17,74818K | ||
| 12,72113K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Bd6 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 Nb4 10. a3 f5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 61% under 1400, 59% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 615K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 165 |
Master games
- So, W. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Karjakin, S.
- Matlakov, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Koch, J. R. – Adams, M.
- Karthikeyan, M. – Grebnev, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense (ECO C55, Open Games) is a variation of the Four Knights Game: Italian Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nxe4 5. Nxe4 d5 (5 moves).
In 1,317,522 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 35.9%, Black 59.3% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bxd5, in 49% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5…d5
6. Bd3 scores best for White: 45.4%, with White winning 42.6% and Black 51.7% of 334K games. The most played, 6. Bxd5, scores 36.9% in 651K games, and 6. Bb5 scores lowest: 36.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Bd3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line dipped to 0.04% of Lichess games in 2018 and has recovered since: 0.05% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 16,169 |
| 2017 | 0.044% | 24,281 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,549 |
| 2019 | 0.042% | 52,707 |
| 2020 | 0.054% | 158,848 |
| 2021 | 0.056% | 220,180 |
| 2022 | 0.05% | 189,097 |
| 2023 | 0.052% | 193,795 |
| 2024 | 0.051% | 181,353 |
| 2025 | 0.05% | 172,595 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.051% | 55,715 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense (C55)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-2