Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation
9/9
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.d3Nf65.Nc3
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation5.6M games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
36%2.0M50%
29%1.6M50%
27%1.5M46%
2.8%156k48%
2.7%151k42%
0.7%37k40%
0.6%35k45%
0.4%23k38%
0.2%12k29%
0.2%8.6k43%
Famous games in this line1.9k master games
Kramnik, V. (2800) – Aronian, L. (2794)Carlsen, M. (2865) – Vidit, S. (2727)Nepomniachtchi, I. (2755) – Carlsen, M. (2831)Nepomniachtchi, I.. (2792) – Aronian, L.. (2781)Nepomniachtchi, I. (2792) – So, W. (2773)Giri, A. (2768) – Anand, V. (2793)Aronian, L. (2782) – So, W. (2778)Vachier Lagrave, M. (2779) – Nakamura, Hi (2777)Heroes of this opening Kramnik, V. · Nepomniachtchi, I.. · Giri, A. · Aronian, L.
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C50
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
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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