Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
473 games: White 47.1% / Draw 5.7% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 227227 | ||
| 124124 | ||
| 104104 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 22 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 12... c5 13. Bxa5 Qxa5+ 14. c3 O-O 15. Nc4 Qc7 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation (ECO C59, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense, 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 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. d4 Qc7 12. Bd2 (12 moves).
In 473 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.1%, Black 47.1% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 12…Bxe5, in 48% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation
12…Nb7 scores best for Black: 49.6%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 49.2% of 124 games. The most played, 12…Bxe5, scores 49.6% in 227 games, and 12…O-O scores lowest: 49.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 12…c5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation (C59)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-knorre-variation