Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack
Also known as Wilkes-Barre Variation
The Traxler Counterattack, also known as the Wilkes-Barre Variation, is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
1,325,965 games: White 47.4% / Draw 3.1% / Black 49.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Knight Sacrifice Line | 632,347632K | |
| Bishop Sacrifice Line | 536,140536K | |
| 99,815100K | ||
| 16,53917K | ||
| 14,74515K | ||
| 11,58712K | ||
| 7,5637,563 | ||
| 3,6283,628 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.28 White is better
Best play: 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. Bc4 Rf8 7. Nc3 h6 8. Nf3 d6 9. O-O a6
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 Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 642K | |
| 2200 and up | 51K | |
| Masters, over the board | 130 |
Master games
- Karpov, A. – Beliavsky, A. G.
- Anand, V. – Beliavsky, A. G.
- Gharamian, T. – Goldsztejn, G.
- Asrian, K. – Minasian, A.
- Efimov, I. – Shirov, A.
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
Description
The Traxler Counterattack, also known as the Wilkes-Barre Variation, is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5. In the Two Knights Defense White has chosen the aggressive 4.Ng5, attacking f7 with knight and bishop, and Black ignores the threat and counterattacks f2 instead. Its ECO code is C57.
Origins
The variation was first seen in the game J. Reinisch–Karel Traxler, Hostouň 1890. Frank Marshall later named it after Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, claiming to be the first to analyse and publish it. So today 4...Bc5 is known as the Traxler Variation and, in the United States and the United Kingdom only, as the Wilkes-Barre Variation.
In the original game White answered the sacrifice badly and Black won with a mating attack, giving up the queen and both knights to chase the white king to the edge of the board.
Main lines
- 5.Nxf7 is the natural move: the knight, defended by the bishop, forks the black queen and rook. Black answers 5...Bxf2+, drawing out the white king and bringing the queen into play with gain of time. After 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ the best moves are 7.Kg1 and 7.Ke3, as any square where the king can be checked can lead to a decisive attack, and Black usually follows with ...Qh4. The best answer to 5...Bxf2+ is 6.Kf1: the king can no longer be checked, Black has to move the queen with 6...Qe7, and White takes the rook. After 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 Black still has a strong attack, but White keeps the advantage with 9.d6.
- 5.Bxf7+ is preferred by most modern masters: it wins a pawn and avoids the complications. After 5...Ke7 White should move the bishop again, and the main line continues 6.Bd5, with 6.Bb3 and 6.b4 also possible. White is considered to have a slight edge but is behind in development, and Black's rook can become active on the open f-file.
A beginner's trap
After 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7.Ke3 Qh4, taking the rook with 8.Nxh8 is a common beginner's mistake: mate in four follows with 8...Qf4+ 9.Ke2 Qf2+ 10.Kd3 Nb4+ 11.Kxe4 Qf4#.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins slightly more often: 49.5% against 47.4% for White in 1.3 million games. Under 1400 White is ahead, 51.6% against 45.8%. From 1800 up Black wins more: 50.0% against 46.6% between 1800 and 2199, and 48.3% against 46.7% from 2200 up. There are only 130 master games over the board, in which White won 43.8% and Black 21.5%.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack
5. Bxf7+ (Bishop Sacrifice Line) scores best for White: 53.3%, with White winning 51.8% and Black 45.1% of 536K games. The most played answer, 5. Nxf7, scores lowest: 45.6% in 632K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Bxf7+.
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
Popularity by year
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack has lost ground since 2016: 0.037% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.061% (its peak: 0.068% in 2021).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.061% | 21,887 |
| 2017 | 0.058% | 32,083 |
| 2018 | 0.059% | 46,158 |
| 2019 | 0.059% | 73,995 |
| 2020 | 0.061% | 178,406 |
| 2021 | 0.068% | 267,220 |
| 2022 | 0.053% | 198,679 |
| 2023 | 0.046% | 172,236 |
| 2024 | 0.041% | 148,291 |
| 2025 | 0.037% | 129,408 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.036% | 39,242 |
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)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Traxler Counterattack, version of 3 September 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack (C57)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-traxler-counterattack