C58 · Open · a plan for White

Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Maróczy Variation

18/18
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.Ng5d55.exd5Na56.d3h67.Nf3e48.Qe2Nxc49.dxc4Be7
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Maróczy Variation4.3k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
52%2.2k50%
38%1.6k41%
4.4%18636%
2.5%10833%
1%4231%
0.9%3933%
0.4%170%
0.1%633%
0.1%30%
0%20%
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. d3 h6 7. Nf3 e4 8. Qe2 Nxc4 9. dxc4 Be7
Classical
Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines
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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.

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