Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Closed Variation
8/8
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.c3Qe7
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Closed Variation133k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
57%76k45%
20%27k44%
13%18k48%
5.3%7.1k46%
1.6%2.2k45%
0.7%94646%
0.6%76647%
0.5%68651%
0.3%37441%
0.3%34145%
Famous games in this line266 master games
Sax, Gyula (2510) – Smyslov, Vassily (2605)Sax, Gyula (2510) – Olafsson, Fridrik (2535)Spasov, Vasil (2570) – Lazic, Miroljub (2465)Cicak, Slavko (2460) – Rogers, Ian (2570)Tolnai, Tibor (2495) – Mokry, Karel (2530)Amonatov, Farrukh (2647) – Saidov, Beqali (2355)Sveshnikov, Evgeny (2505) – Ivanovic, Bozidar (2480)Sveshnikov, Evgeny (2557) – Gostisa, Leon (2421)Heroes of this opening Sveshnikov, Evgeny · Spasov, Vasil · Tolnai, Tibor
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C53
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Qe7
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation5.d4 Bb6 · 3 deeper linesItalian Game: Classical Variation, Mestel Variation5.d4 Bb6 6.Bg5Italian Game: Classical Variation, Eisinger Variation5.d4 Bb6 6.d5 Nb8 7.d6Italian Game: Classical Variation, Tarrasch Variation5.d4 Bb6 6.O-O d6 7.a4 a6 …
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