Chess opening · ECO C50

Italian Game: Giuoco Piano

The Italian Game: Giuoco Piano starts 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5. It ranks #61 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5. White to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... e5Black pushes the e-pawn two squares to e5, staking a claim in the center.
  3. 2. Nf3White develops the kingside knight to f3.
  4. 2... Nc6Black develops the queenside knight to c6.
  5. 3. Bc4White develops the light-squared bishop to c4.
  6. 3... Bc5Black develops the dark-squared bishop to c5.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common White moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Among players rated under 1200, the most popular next move is d3; among players rated 2000 and up, it is c3.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200d3 36%O-O 22%c3 13%
1200–1399d3 33%O-O 18%c3 17%
1400–1599d3 26%c3 23%O-O 20%
1600–1799c3 27%O-O 24%d3 20%
1800–1999c3 35%O-O 27%b4 15%
2000 and upc3 43%O-O 23%b4 22%

Related openings

Italian GameThe line this one grows fromItalian Game: Giuoco PianissimoA variation of this lineItalian Game: Evans GambitA variation of this line

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