Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a6
10/10
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.c3Nf65.d3a6
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a6235k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
24%56k52%
20%48k55%
16%38k52%
13%31k49%
6.5%15k51%
5.5%13k54%
4.1%9.7k50%
4%9.4k53%
2.3%5.5k51%
1.8%4.2k54%
Famous games in this line3.9k master games
Vachier Lagrave, M. (2796) – Carlsen, M. (2832)Kramnik, V. (2808) – So, W. (2812)So, Wesley (2770) – Caruana, Fabiano (2835)So, Wesley (2770) – Caruana, Fabiano (2835)Caruana, F. (2811) – Aronian, L. (2777)Kramnik, Vladimir (2801) – Aronian, L. (2784)Vachier Lagrave, M. (2789) – Kramnik, V. (2792)Topalov, V. (2798) – Aronian, L. (2780)Heroes of this opening Vachier Lagrave, M. · Caruana, Fabiano · So, Wesley · 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. d3 a6
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.
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