Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
60,493 games: White 47.3% / Draw 3.0% / Black 49.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 60,45560K | ||
| 1111 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 22 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. Qxa8 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. d4 exd4 12. Qf3 h6 13. Ne4 Bb7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation (ECO C58, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bogoljubow Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 cxb5 (8 moves).
In 60,493 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 49.7% and 3.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Qxa8, in 100% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation (C58)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-blackburne-variation