Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a4 a5
14/14
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.c3Nf65.d3d66.O-OO-O7.a4a5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a4 a556k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
23%13k52%
21%12k53%
16%8.9k52%
14%8.1k53%
10%5.8k51%
3.8%2.1k53%
3.1%1.8k55%
2%1.1k52%
1.7%95446%
1.5%86446%
Famous games in this line384 master games
Anand, V. (2782) – Ding Liren (2777)So, W. (2769) – Anand, V. (2754)Anand, V. (2751) – Karjakin, Sergey (2743)Wang Hao (2735) – Andreikin, D. (2722)Mamedov, Rau (2709) – Fedoseev, Vl3 (2718)Hou Yifan (2652) – Ding Liren (2773)Wang Hao (2735) – Cheparinov, I. (2667)Hou Yifan (2649) – Ivanchuk, V. (2732)Heroes of this opening Karjakin, Sergey · Andreikin, D. · Ding Liren · Wang Hao
- 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. O-O O-O 7. a4 a5
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
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