Source Lichess
Black wins at least 13.9 more of every 100 games than it loses
how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident
At All Ratings, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense keeps Black's wins running +13.9% ahead of its losses at worst, 90% confident, from 2.0K Lichess games. This gambit is effective. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
| Rating | Edge at worst | Black Win | Draw | Black Loss | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800-1999 | +16.3% | 61.4% | 2.1% | 36.5% | 348 |
| 2000-2199 | +12.8% | 57.2% | 4.1% | 38.7% | 791 |
| 2200-2499 | +7.5% | 54.7% | 4.4% | 40.9% | 689 |
| 2500+ | −13.7% | 51.7% | 2.1% | 46.2% | 71 |
2500+ is where the games stop proving it. Below that, Black comes out ahead; from there up, the evidence no longer shows it. Where the line sits changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
Black wins 56.8% of Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense games, draws 3.9% and loses 39.3%. That rests on 2.0K games from Lichess.
1800-1999. There Black wins at least 16.3 more of every 100 games than it loses (90% confident), its highest Edge at worst.
Blitz. For Black, the Edge at worst — how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident — is +12.0% in Blitz (1.2K games) and +9.4% in Rapid (208 games).
Yes. The first rating where the games do not show Black coming out ahead is 2500+ in Bullet and 2000-2199 in Rapid. In Blitz, Black comes out ahead at every rating we can see.
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense is extremely sharp: 3.9% of its games are drawn, so 96.1% end with a winner.
Play it below 2500+. From there up, the games no longer show it paying. Where the line sits changes with the clock, so set yours above and look again.
As White, take the material, then develop fast, castle early, and trade pieces. Give the material back when doing so kills the attack. At 2500+ and above, the games no longer show Black coming out ahead with it; below that, they do.
This rests on 2.0K games from Lichess. Every figure carries the range it is in, 90% confident, and the table above shows how many games sit behind each rating and each clock — the fewer there are, the wider that range.