C56 · Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Rubinstein Variation
22/22
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.d4exd45.O-OBc56.e5d57.exf6dxc48.Re1+Be69.Ng5Qd510.Nc3Qf511.Nce4Bf8
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Rubinstein Variation1.5k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
g439%58146%
Nxe628%41847%
Nxf714%20472%
fxg711%17143%
Ng36.1%9252%
Qh50.8%1250%
Qe20.3%475%
c30.2%333%
Qf30.2%350%
h30.1%20%
Famous games in this line4 master games
Romero Barreto, Jaime Jose (2316) – Rodriguez Vila, A. (2487)Arngrimsson, Dagur (2383) – Thorfinnsson, Bjorn (2376)Karaklajic, Nikola (2303) – Nikolic, Goran (2299)Casella, Michael (2268) – Akopyan, Harutyun (2233)Heroes of this opening Rodriguez Vila, A. · Arngrimsson, Dagur · Karaklajic, Nikola
Keep exploring
Nearby lines in the family
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.
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C56
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. Nce4 Bf8
SharpAggressiveClassical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Study this opening elsewhere