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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
70%6.0k47%
12%1.0k45%
10%88742%
7%59553%
0%40%
0%425%
0%30%
0%20%
0%250%
0%10%
Famous games in this line25 master games
Kasparov, Garry (2805) – Timman, Jan H (2620)19941–0Naiditsch, Arkadij (2652) – Halkias, Stelios (2580)20071–0Mikhalchishin, Adrian (2530) – Geller, Efim P (2525)1991½–½Beshukov, Sergei (2435) – Malaniuk, Vladimir P (2610)19970–1Lanc, Ing. Alois (2530) – Ruch, Eric (2472)20091–0Euler, Gerd (2365) – Malaniuk, Vladimir P (2610)19960–1Kholmov, Ratmir D (2445) – Geller, Efim P (2465)1995½–½Pommerel Brouwer, Wim H (2420) – Ruch, Eric (2479)20090–1
Heroes of this opening Malaniuk, Vladimir P · Kasparov, Garry · Naiditsch, Arkadij · Lanc, Ing. Alois
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 →
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Nearby lines in the family
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation3…Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 …Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 …Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser Attack3…Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 …
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
Videos on YouTube ↗Wikipedia: Italian Game ↗