A two-cycle engine is provided that has a cylinder in which is formed a combustion chamber delimited by a reciprocating piston that via a connecting rod drives a crankshaft rotatably mounted in a crankcase. An inlet is provided for a supply of fuel into the crankcase, and an outlet leads out of the combustion chamber. In predetermined positions of the piston the crankcase communicates with the combustion chamber via at least one transfer channel. The cover is secured to a connecting flange of the cylinder, the cover closes off the transfer channel on an outer side of a cylinder, the connecting flange is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder by an angle that opens in a direction toward the crankcase.