Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation

20/20

1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bxb45.c3Bc56.d4exd47.O-Od68.cxd4Bb69.d5Na510.Bb2Ne7

Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation233 games · White to move

MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore

13651%

5035%

2955%

856%

633%

250%

20%

Family: Italian Game
Category: Open
First move: 1.e4
ECO: C51
Line: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. d5 Na5 10. Bb2 Ne7

GambitClassical

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Nearby lines in the family

Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4 …Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Göring Variation3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5 …Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser Attack9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Qa4

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

Videos on YouTube ↗Wikipedia: Italian Game ↗