Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Albin Variation

11/11
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.c3Nf65.d3d66.b4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Albin Variation165k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
99%163k52%
0.4%65033%
0.2%41135%
0.2%37026%
0.2%29332%
0.1%23532%
0.1%18221%
0.1%11819%
0%5321%
0%4916%
Famous games in this line352 master games
Caruana, F. (2811) – Anand, V. (2797)2015½–½Caruana, F. (2793) – Firouzja, Alireza (2751)20240–1Caruana, F. (2764) – Giri, A. (2768)2023½–½Caruana, F. (2795) – Sevian, Samuel (2696)2023½–½Sindarov, Javokhir (2726) – Mamedyarov, S. (2730)20250–1Gukesh, D. (2746) – Tabatabaei, M. (2694)2023½–½Abdusattorov, Nodirbek (2744) – Navara, D. (2667)20241–0Gukesh, D. (2718) – Praggnanandhaa, R. (2690)20231–0
Heroes of this opening Firouzja, Alireza · Mamedyarov, S. · Abdusattorov, Nodirbek · Gukesh, D.
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. d3 d6 6. b4
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →
Keep exploring
Nearby lines in the family
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.O-OItalian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit3…Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Nc3Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Lolli Attack3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.d4
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
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