C59 · Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Göring Variation
20/20
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.Ng5d55.exd5Na56.Bb5+c67.dxc6bxc68.Be2h69.Nf3e410.Ne5Qc7
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Göring Variation8.5k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
d470%6.0k47%
f412%1.0k45%
Nc410%88742%
Ng47%59553%
Nxf70%40%
d30%425%
Nc30%30%
c30%20%
b40%250%
h30%10%
Famous games in this line25 master games
Kasparov, Garry (2805) – Timman, Jan H (2620)Naiditsch, Arkadij (2652) – Halkias, Stelios (2580)Mikhalchishin, Adrian (2530) – Geller, Efim P (2525)Beshukov, Sergei (2435) – Malaniuk, Vladimir P (2610)Lanc, Ing. Alois (2530) – Ruch, Eric (2472)Euler, Gerd (2365) – Malaniuk, Vladimir P (2610)Kholmov, Ratmir D (2445) – Geller, Efim P (2465)Pommerel Brouwer, Wim H (2420) – Ruch, Eric (2479)Heroes of this opening Malaniuk, Vladimir P · Kasparov, Garry · Naiditsch, Arkadij · Lanc, Ing. Alois
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
- C59
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Qc7
Classical
★ Read the guide: Italian GameExplore all 184 Italian Game lines →Study this opening elsewhere