Italian Game: Two Knights Defense 7…bxc6 8. Be2
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Statistics from Lichess
672,668 games: White 48.1% / Draw 4.3% / Black 47.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense | 460,561461K | |
| 60,83461K | ||
| 55,01055K | ||
| 39,40739K | ||
| 28,54729K | ||
| 7,3957,395 | ||
| 5,2475,247 | ||
| 2,8412,841 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. d4 exd3 12. Nxd3 O-O 13. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 58K | |
| 1400–1799 | 356K | |
| 1800–2199 | 396K | |
| 2200 and up | 48K | |
| Masters, over the board | 746 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Ding Liren
- Aronian, L. – Ding Liren
- Aronian, L. – Giri, A.
- Duda, J. – Ding Liren
- Aronian, L. – Tari, 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 C58, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 (8 moves).
In 672,668 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 47.6% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…h6, in 68% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 8. Be2
The most played answer, 8…h6 (Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense), also scores best for Black: 52.6%, with Black winning 50.4% and White 45.2% of 461K games. Of the main answers, 8…Bc5 scores lowest: 44.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…h6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 has lost ground since 2016: 0.021% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.037%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.037% | 13,235 |
| 2017 | 0.039% | 21,537 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,829 |
| 2019 | 0.033% | 41,353 |
| 2020 | 0.032% | 94,002 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 102,782 |
| 2022 | 0.025% | 94,815 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 89,734 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 82,190 |
| 2025 | 0.021% | 71,605 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.02% | 21,767 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense (C58)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-4