C59 · Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Steinitz Variation
17/17
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.Ng5d55.exd5Na56.Bb5+c67.dxc6bxc68.Be2h69.Nh3
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Steinitz Variation45k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
39%18k47%
27%12k51%
21%9.3k51%
3%1.3k55%
2.6%1.2k48%
2.4%1.1k45%
2.3%1.1k49%
0.5%21647%
0.5%20848%
0.3%14351%
Famous games in this line364 master games
Aronian, L. (2772) – Ding Liren (2801)Aronian, L. (2772) – Ding Liren (2799)Aronian, L.. (2781) – Giri, A.. (2780)Duda, J.. (2729) – Ding Liren (2799)Aronian, L. (2775) – Tari, A. (2672)Ivanchuk, Vassily (2740) – Beliavsky, Alexander G (2690)Aronian, L. (2775) – Kamsky, G. (2655)Adhiban, Baskaran (2689) – Harikrishna, P. (2730)Heroes of this opening Aronian, L. · Ding Liren · Adhiban, Baskaran
- 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. Nh3
Classical
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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.
Study this opening