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C51 · Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Vasquez Variation

15/15
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bb65.b5Na56.Nxe5Qg57.Bxf7+Ke78.Qh5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Vasquez Variation5 games · Black to move
Only 5 games reach this position at this level — read it loosely.
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
Qxg280%475%
Qxh520%1100%
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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.

Category
Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
C51
Line
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Qg5 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Qh5
GambitClassical
Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines
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