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
39%58146%
28%41847%
14%20472%
11%17143%
6.1%9252%
0.8%1250%
0.3%475%
0.2%333%
0.2%350%
0.1%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
- 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 →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.
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