Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Perreux Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
469,888 games: White 52.5% / Draw 4.3% / Black 43.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 318,231318K | ||
| 125,331125K | ||
| 11,63712K | ||
| 4,5804,580 | ||
| 3,3373,337 | ||
| 2,6582,658 | ||
| 1,1711,171 | ||
| 1,1211,121 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.38 Black is slightly better
Best play: 5... d5 6. exd5 Qe7+ 7. Kf1 Ne5 8. Qxd4 Nxc4 9. Qxc4 h6 10. Nf3
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 55% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 318K | |
| 1400–1799 | 423K | |
| 1800–2199 | 229K | |
| 2200 and up | 45K | |
| Masters, over the board | 115 |
Master games
- Tomczak, J. – Bartel, M.
- Brandenburg, D. – Smeets, J.
- Tomczak, J. – Buhmann, R.
- Watson, W. N. – Adams, M.
- Piscopo, P. – Fressinet, L.
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, Perreux Variation (ECO C56, Open Games) is a variation of the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Ng5 (5 moves).
In 469,888 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 43.2% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d5, in 68% 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, Perreux Variation
The most played answer, 5…d5, also scores best for Black: 46.4%, with Black winning 44.2% and White 51.4% of 318K games. Of the main answers, 5…Ne5 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…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, Perreux Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.023% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.014%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 5,119 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,953 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,372 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,601 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 43,245 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 54,407 |
| 2022 | 0.016% | 60,978 |
| 2023 | 0.02% | 76,595 |
| 2024 | 0.022% | 78,281 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 79,182 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,545 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Perreux Variation (C56)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-perreux-variation