Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense
2.0K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
58.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 60.6%.
Measured over 2.0K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for Black at this level and clock.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.0K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 2.0K
- Best context
- 61.9% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 31 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 1000-1199, 43.5% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1000-1199 | — | — | — | ||
| 1200-1399 | — | — | |||
| 1400-1599 | — | — | |||
| 1600-1799 | — | ||||
| 1800-1999 | — | ||||
| 2000-2199 | — | ||||
| 2200-2499 | — | — | |||
| 2500+ | — | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 81.6% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 66.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 77.9% expected score (20 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 24.6% expected score (26 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 62.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 67.2% expected score (106 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 60.0% expected score (205 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 66.1% expected score (39 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (8 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 60.8% expected score (143 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 61.9% expected score (555 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 56.0% expected score (82 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 59.1% expected score (4 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (185 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (427 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 59.8% expected score (60 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (64 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.1% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense scores 58.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 57.0% and 60.6% — from 2.0K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 2.0K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate?
Playing the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense, Black wins 56.8%, draws 3.9% and loses 39.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.8%. It rests on 2.0K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense perform best?
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 62.7% (358 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 58.4% in Blitz (1.2K games) against 60.3% in Rapid (208 games).
How sharp is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense?
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 31 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 61.3%, draws 2.6% and loses 36.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.7%. It rests on 358 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 59.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 37.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.1%. It rests on 784 Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 53.7%, draws 4.4% and loses 41.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.9%. It rests on 672 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 57.9%, draws 2.2% and loses 39.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.0%. It rests on 521 Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 56.2%, draws 4.3% and loses 39.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.4%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 57.5%, draws 5.5% and loses 37.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.3%. It rests on 208 Lichess games.
Is the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense a good opening?
The Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense is good for Black. Across all ratings, Black wins 56.8% of its games and loses 39.3%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.