Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
259,102 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.5% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 126,768127K | ||
| 68,01268K | ||
| 23,48023K | ||
| 13,04013K | ||
| 7,6707,670 | ||
| 6,7116,711 | ||
| 5,8715,871 | ||
| 2,3352,335 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.33 Black is slightly better
Best play: 6... h6 7. Nf3 e4 8. Nd4 Bc5 9. c3 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Bf4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 134K | |
| 1400–1799 | 197K | |
| 1800–2199 | 137K | |
| 2200 and up | 26K | |
| Masters, over the board | 68 |
Master games
- Zeng, C. – Vidit, S.
- Spitz, P. – Martín Clemente, J.
- Zeng, C. – Tin, J.
- Stefansson, V. V. – Van Foreest, L.
- Spitz, P. – Rubinas, P.
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, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation (ECO C58, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. d3 (6 moves).
In 259,102 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.8% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nxc4, in 49% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Maróczy Variation and Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Yankovich 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, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation
6…h6 scores best for Black: 53.7%, with Black winning 51.4% and White 44.1% of 68K games. The most played, 6…Nxc4, scores 46.6% in 127K games, and 6…Nxd5 scores lowest: 33.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…h6.
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, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0089% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.013%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.013% | 4,591 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,348 |
| 2018 | 0.01% | 8,091 |
| 2019 | 0.01% | 12,884 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 30,848 |
| 2021 | 0.01% | 39,444 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 38,516 |
| 2023 | 0.01% | 38,707 |
| 2024 | 0.0098% | 35,278 |
| 2025 | 0.0089% | 30,834 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0084% | 9,160 |
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, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation (C58)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-polerio-defense-kieseritzky-variation