C57 · Open · a plan for White
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Bishop Sacrifice Line
9/9
1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.Ng5Bc55.Bxf7+
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Bishop Sacrifice Line495k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
60%295k51%
40%200k41%
Famous games in this line88 master games
Karpov, Anatoly (2710) – Beliavsky, Alexander G (2570)Anand, Viswanathan (2635) – Beliavsky, Alexander G (2640)Gharamian, Tigran (2658) – Goldsztejn, Gildas (2435)Asrian, Karen (2634) – Minasian, Ara (2457)Efimov, Igor (2470) – Shirov, Alexei (2615)Shabalov, Alexander (2565) – Ivanov, Igor V (2475)Howell, James C (2525) – David, Alberto (2465)Forcen Esteban, Daniel (2501) – Iruzubieta Villaluenga, Jesus Maria (2411)Heroes of this opening Beliavsky, Alexander G · Gharamian, Tigran · Asrian, Karen · Shirov, Alexei
- Family
- Italian Game
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C57
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+
SharpAggressiveClassical
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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.
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