Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Colman Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
89,650 games: White 46.3% / Draw 3.6% / Black 50.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 55,01555K | ||
| 16,16316K | ||
| 15,48015K | ||
| 2,6772,677 | ||
| 108108 | ||
| 7272 | ||
| 4848 | ||
| 3434 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. Be2 Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qd3 Qc7 12. O-O h6 13. Nge4 Nh7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Colman 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 Rb8 (8 moves).
In 89,650 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 50.1% and 3.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. Bxc6+, in 61% of those games.
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How to play against the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Colman Variation
9. Bd3 scores best for White: 56.0%, with White winning 53.8% and Black 41.8% of 15K games. The most played answer, 9. Bxc6+, scores lowest: 43.9% in 55K games. Stockfish's first choice is 9. Be2.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Colman Variation (C58)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-colman-variation