Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Attack
9/9
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.c3Nf65.d4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Attack3.9M games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
97%3.7M45%
1.6%61k43%
0.9%34k44%
0.2%7.9k20%
0.2%7.4k27%
0.2%6.0k28%
0.1%4.8k33%
0.1%3.7k25%
0%1.3k29%
0%82421%
Famous games in this line2.8k master games
Nepomniachtchi, I. (2792) – Carlsen, M. (2855)So, W.. (2770) – Carlsen, M.. (2862)Giri, A.. (2764) – Carlsen, M.. (2862)So, W.. (2770) – Carlsen, M.. (2847)So, W.. (2770) – Carlsen, M.. (2847)So, W.. (2770) – Carlsen, M.. (2847)Aronian, L. (2775) – Ding Liren (2801)Nakamura, Hi (2799) – Giri, A. (2776)Heroes of this opening So, W.. · Carlsen, M.. · Aronian, L.
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C54
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4
AggressiveClassical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Walbrodt-Baird Gambit5…exd4 6.O-OItalian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line5…exd4 6.e5 · 2 deeper linesItalian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Dubov Italian5…exd4 6.b4Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Traditional Line5…exd4 6.cxd4 · 11 deeper lines
Nearby lines in the family
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.
Study this opening