Italian Game
187 variations · C50 to C59
The idea
Everything aims at f7.
White puts the bishop on c4, aimed at f7. Then c3 and d4 bring the center into play.
Where it comes from
The Italian Game already appears in the Göttingen manuscript, the earliest known work on modern chess, written more than five hundred years ago. Around 1620 the Italian Gioachino Greco played it in games that have survived. The Evans Gambit was added in the nineteenth century, but later the Ruy Lopez overtook it. Its popularity recovered somewhat at the end of the twentieth century. After the 2000 world championship match between Kramnik and Kasparov the Berlin Defense took hold in the Ruy Lopez, and White players went looking for new ideas in the Italian Game, where the Berlin can't arise. The old name Giuoco Piano means "quiet game".
The opening itself
C50 · 3 moves
Italian Game
In the trainer
This opening is in the trainer. Play the moves of the line; if you deviate, you'll see which move theory recommends.
Variations 187
Names and moves from lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0).