Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense
12/12
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.b4Bxb45.c3Ba56.d4exd4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense652k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
70%455k56%
23%150k60%
6.1%40k43%
0.4%2.5k55%
0.3%2.0k40%
0.1%75951%
0.1%64337%
0.1%40035%
0.1%33154%
0%29935%
Famous games in this line356 master games
Vachier Lagrave, M. (2774) – So, W. (2767)Short, Nigel D (2698) – Kasparov, Garry (2812)Morozevich, Alexander (2745) – Adams, Michael (2746)Short, Nigel D (2683) – Adams, Michael (2715)Umansky, Mikhail Markovich (2670) – Timmerman, Gert Jan (2706)Short, Nigel D (2701) – Nielsen, Peter Heine (2626)Short, Nigel D (2676) – Piket, Jeroen (2628)Sedlak, Nikola (2593) – Georgiev, Kiril (2671)Heroes of this opening Vachier Lagrave, M. · Kasparov, Garry · Adams, Michael · Piket, Jeroen
- Family
- Italian Game
- 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 exd4
GambitClassical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Johner Defense7.O-O b5Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mieses Defense7.O-O Nge7Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Dufresne Defense7.O-O d3Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense7.O-O dxc3 · 2 deeper lines
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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