Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, King March Line
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Statistics from Lichess
60,922 games: White 37.9% / Draw 2.1% / Black 60.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 52,87153K | ||
| 4,1974,197 | ||
| 1,8881,888 | ||
| 1,3951,395 | ||
| 343343 | ||
| 5454 | ||
| 4444 | ||
| 4444 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Qh4 8. g3 Nxg3 9. hxg3 Qd4+ 10. Kf3 O-O 11. Rh4 e4+ 12. Kg2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, King March Line (ECO C57, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Knight Sacrifice Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6. Kxf2 Nxe4+ 7. Ke3 (7 moves).
In 60,922 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 37.9%, Black 60.0% and 2.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Qh4, in 87% of those games.
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How to play against the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, King March Line
The most played answer, 7…Qh4, also scores best for Black: 63.9%, with Black winning 62.8% and White 35.0% of 53K games. Of the main answers, 7…Qf6 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Qh4.
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, Traxler Counterattack, King March Line (C57)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-two-knights-defense-traxler-counterattack-king-march-line