Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation
16/16
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.Ng5d55.exd5Na56.Bb5+c67.dxc6bxc68.Qf3cxb5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation52k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
100%52k50%
0%119%
0%50%
0%20%
0%20%
0%20%
0%20%
0%20%
0%20%
0%10%
Famous games in this line54 master games
Yu, Yangyi (2709) – Ding, Liren (2791)Firouzja, Alireza (2766) – Yakubboev, Nodirbek (2663)Ohanyan, Emin (2504) – Svane, R. (2628)Chandra, Akshat (2513) – Theodorou, Nikolas (2541)Nasuta, G. (2545) – Klimkowski, Jan (2477)Liyanage, Ranindu Dilshan (2393) – Sargissian, G. (2616)Bharath, Subramaniyam H (2573) – Parpiev, Isaak (2394)Situru, Nathanael (2382) – Kunte, Abhijit (2561)Heroes of this opening Firouzja, Alireza · Kunte, Abhijit
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C58
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 cxb5
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Keep exploring
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.
Study this opening