Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mieses Defense

14/14
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bxb45.c3Ba56.d4exd47.O-ONge7
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mieses Defense105k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
48%51k49%
32%34k73%
12%13k42%
3.6%3.8k42%
1.4%1.5k45%
1%1.1k51%
0.8%84540%
0.4%41844%
0.1%10639%
0.1%8145%
Famous games in this line114 master games
Vachier Lagrave, M. (2774)So, W. (2767)20191–0Morozevich, Alexander (2745)Adams, Michael (2746)20010–1Short, Nigel D (2683)Adams, Michael (2715)2000½–½Sulskis, Sarunas (2571)Svidler, Peter (2686)20010–1Johnson, Maurice W (2518)Webb, Simon (2655)1996½–½Ovetchkin, Roman (2519)Lastin, Alexander (2634)20030–1Pavlidis, Ant (2532)Sarana, A. (2457)2016½–½Muzychuk, Anna (2469)Kosteniuk, Alexandra (2515)2007½–½
Heroes of this opening Vachier Lagrave, M. · Adams, Michael · Svidler, Peter · Lastin, Alexander
Category
Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
C52
Line
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O Nge7
GambitClassical
Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines
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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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