- The moves1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
- Chosen byWhite
- ECOC50–C54
- Also calledGiuoco Piano
The Italian Game comes after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. White develops a knight and a bishop, gets ready to castle and aims the bishop at f7, the square in Black's camp that only the king protects at the start of the game.
It is one of the oldest openings on record. Masters such as Damiano and Polerio analyzed it as early as the 1500s, and it appears in the game collections of the Italian Gioachino Greco from the 1620s. In the 1900s the Ruy Lopez took over at the top level, but the quiet line with d3 made the Italian modern again. After the 2000 world championship match between Kramnik and Kasparov, where the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez became a hard wall to get through, many White players came back here.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.…
The ideas
White wants to
- Aim the bishop at f7, and sometimes the queen from b3.
- Prepare d4 with c3 to get two pawns in the center.
- In the quiet line: build up with d3, Re1 and Nbd2–f1–g3, and pick the right moment for d4.
Black wants to
- Develop as quickly as White. The bishop on c5 aims at f2 just as White's bishop aims at f7.
- Hold the pawn on e5, Black's share of the center.
- Strike back at the center with d5 when possible. If that works, Black has usually equalized.
Important variations
Two Knights Defense: 3…Nf6
Black develops the knight instead of the bishop and invites White to play 4.Ng5, a direct attack on f7. After 4…d5 5.exd5 the main line is 5…Na5: Black gives a pawn for quick development. If Black takes back with 5…Nxd5 instead, 6.Nxf7 may follow, the knight sacrifice known as the Fried Liver.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6
3… Nf6
Black attacks e4 instead of mirroring White's bishop move.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
The classical center attack: 5.d4
Instead of the quiet 5.d3, White can get straight to the point with 5.d4. White has two pawns in the center for a moment, but Black has a good answer: the check 6…Bb4+ followed by 8…d5. After the trades White often gets an isolated pawn on d4, which can be both a strength and a weakness.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Qb3
Evans Gambit: 4.b4
White sacrifices a pawn to gain time and get c3 and d4 in with tempo. The gambit was a favorite in the 1800s and leads to sharp play. It has a page of its own.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4
The trap: the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, 3…Nd4
Black plays 3…Nd4 and leaves the pawn on e5 apparently unprotected. The move is really a bad one, but it sets a trap. If White greedily takes with 4.Nxe5, 4…Qg5! follows, and after the natural 5.Nxf7, forking the queen and the rook, comes 5…Qxg2, and after for example 6.Rf1 a smothered mate is near. According to legend, the English master Joseph Henry Blackburne used the trap to win a shilling a game from café players. The right answer to 3…Nd4 is to leave e5 alone and play, for example, 4.Nxd4 or 4.O-O: then White stands well.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 4. Nxe5 Qg5 5. Nxf7 Qxg2 6. Rf1 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Nf3#
7… Nf3#
Smothered mate. The king is boxed in by its own pieces, and the knight can't be taken: the bishop is pinned, and the queen on d1 stands behind it.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Game 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 | Club players | 102,814,089 | 50% | 4% | 46% |
| Beginners | 133,776,222 | 51% | 4% | 45% | |
| Italian Game, main line 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 | Club players | 8,910 | 46% | 7% | 47% |
| Beginners | 585 | 49% | 4% | 47% | |
| Two Knights Defense: 3…Nf6 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 | Club players | 460,424 | 45% | 4% | 50% |
| Beginners | 93,453 | 44% | 3% | 53% | |
| The classical center attack: 5.d4 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Qb3 | Club players | 61,855 | 49% | 9% | 42% |
| Beginners | 18,889 | 51% | 7% | 42% |
The most common continuations after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 3…Bc5 38% (38,846,257 games)
- 3…Nf6 31% (31,719,633 games)
- 3…h6 11% (11,015,837 games)
- 3…d6 6% (6,584,397 games)
- 3…Be7 5% (5,460,978 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Italian Game suits anyone who plays 1.e4 and wants an opening that follows the classical principles: center, development, castling. It is easy to understand and hard to get lost in, which is why chess coaches so often start here.
For Black it is just as instructive to face: whether you play 3…Bc5 or 3…Nf6, you learn both to defend f7 and to strike back at the center.
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 White takes space in the center and opens the way for the queen and the king's bishop. 1… e5 Black answers in kind and lays claim to the same central squares. 2. Nf3 The knight develops with tempo: it attacks the pawn on e5. 2… Nc6 The natural reply. The knight protects e5 and watches d4. 3. Bc4 This is the Italian Game. The bishop aims at f7, Black's most vulnerable point as long as the king stays in the middle. 3… Bc5 Black answers in the same style: the bishop aims at f2. The position is called the Giuoco Piano, Italian for “the quiet game.” 4. c3 White prepares d4 to get two pawns in the center. The pawn on c3 also gives the queen the way to b3, against f7. 4… Nf6 Black develops another piece and attacks the pawn on e4 at the same time. 5. d3 The quiet choice, in Italian the Giuoco Pianissimo: “the very quiet game.” White protects e4 and saves the break d4 for a better moment. 5… d6 Black supports e5 and opens the diagonal for the bishop on c8. 6. O-O The king is safe. The rook on f1 comes closer to the center. 6… a6 A useful waiting move. The bishop gets the retreat square a7, where it can neither be chased with b4 nor traded off with Na4. 7. a4 White takes space on the queenside and stops b5. 7… Ba7 The bishop steps back in advance but keeps aiming at f2. 8. Re1 The rook protects e4. A common plan is to bring the knight via d2 and f1 to g3, where it helps on the kingside. 8… O-O Both kings are safe. Now a slow middlegame begins, where plans matter more than traps. 9. h3 White stops Bg4, which would pin the knight on f3 to the queen on d1. The next step is usually Nbd2 and, at the right moment, d4.
More openings
Evans Gambit
White sacrifices the b-pawn for tempo and the center. Romantic chess from the 1800s.
Ruy Lopez
The bishop to b5 presses on e5 from a distance. The masters' favorite since the 1800s.
Scotch Game
3.d4 at once: an open game, free pieces and no long maneuvering.
Petrov's Defense
Black strikes back at e4 instead of protecting e5. A solid choice that several world champions have trusted.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3. Bc4
This is the Italian Game. The bishop aims at f7, Black's most vulnerable point as long as the king stays in the middle.