Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mayet Defense
10/10
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bxb45.c3Bf8
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mayet Defense12k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
76%8.9k59%
14%1.7k59%
8.9%1.1k60%
0.3%3068%
0.2%2060%
0.1%911%
0.1%838%
0%580%
0%570%
0%560%
Famous games in this line2 master games
Kubala, Petr (2305) – Dolezal, Radoslav Jr (2320)Bores, Roman (2295) – Dolezal, Radoslav Jr (2260)- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C51
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bf8
GambitClassical
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From the archives
The Italian Game appears in the Göttingen manuscript (c. 1500) and in Polerio's notebooks — chess players have been putting the bishop on c4 for more than five hundred years. It fell out of top-level fashion for decades, then came back as White players went looking for a way round the Berlin Defence; Carlsen used the quiet Giuoco Pianissimo in the 2016 world-championship match.
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