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C52 · Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Levenfish Variation

21/21
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bxb45.c3Ba56.d4d67.Qb3Qd78.dxe5dxe59.O-OBb610.Ba3Na511.Nxe5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Levenfish Variation19 games · Black to move
Only 19 games reach this position at this level — read it loosely.
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
Nxb3100%1955%
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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
C52
Line
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. O-O Bb6 10. Ba3 Na5 11. Nxe5
GambitClassical
Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines
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