Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
1,213,366 games: White 61.8% / Draw 3.0% / Black 35.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 517,820518K | ||
| Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Spielmann Defense | 411,322411K | |
| 127,295127K | ||
| 127,295127K | ||
| 15,39015K | ||
| 5,3485,348 | ||
| 2,5642,564 | ||
| 1,9191,919 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 18, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. fxg7 Rg8 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxe7 Kxe7 11. Re1+
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 62% under 1400, 60% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 150K | |
| 1400–1799 | 721K | |
| 1800–2199 | 694K | |
| 2200 and up | 65K | |
| Masters, over the board | 204 |
Master games
- Short, N. D. – Fressinet, L.
- Robson, R. – Dominguez Perez, L.
- Azarov, S. – Kamsky, G.
- Jones, G. C. – Bruzon Batista, L.
- Zelcic, R. – Bosiocic, M.
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, Max Lange Attack (ECO C56, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 (6 moves).
In 1,213,366 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 61.8%, Black 35.2% and 3.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…d5, in 43% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Spielmann Defense and Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Long Variation.
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, Max Lange Attack
The most played answer, 6…d5, also scores best for Black: 39.7%, with Black winning 38.0% and White 58.6% of 518K games. Of the main answers, 6…Ne4 scores lowest: 30.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…d5.
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
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack peaked in 2020 at 0.061% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.039% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.044% | 15,821 |
| 2017 | 0.051% | 27,945 |
| 2018 | 0.054% | 42,645 |
| 2019 | 0.054% | 67,114 |
| 2020 | 0.061% | 179,998 |
| 2021 | 0.051% | 200,243 |
| 2022 | 0.047% | 176,512 |
| 2023 | 0.044% | 164,898 |
| 2024 | 0.041% | 148,016 |
| 2025 | 0.039% | 134,454 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.037% | 40,034 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack (C56)”. Lichess data as of 18 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-max-lange-attack