C53 · 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
O-O57%76k45%
d420%27k44%
d313%18k48%
b45.3%7.1k46%
a41.6%2.2k45%
Qe20.7%94646%
h30.6%76647%
Bb30.5%68651%
a30.3%37441%
Qb30.3%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
Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding VariationC53 5.d4 Bb6 · 3 deeper linesItalian Game: Classical Variation, Mestel VariationC53 5.d4 Bb6 6.Bg5Italian Game: Classical Variation, Eisinger VariationC53 5.d4 Bb6 6.d5 Nb8 7.d6Italian Game: Classical Variation, Tarrasch VariationC53 5.d4 Bb6 6.O-O d6 7.a4 a6 …
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
The Italian Game is in the Göttingen manuscript and Polerio's notebooks — chess players have been putting the bishop on c4 for more than four centuries. It fell out of top-level fashion for decades, then returned as a main weapon of Carlsen and Caruana, proving the oldest plans still bite.
- 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 →Study this opening elsewhere