White plays 3.Bc4
The main line: 4.c3 and d4
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Chapter 1 of 6
The Italian Game and the Evans Gambit
After 3.Bc4 Bc5 both sides aim at f7 and f2. Against c3 and d4 Black counterattacks e4; against the slow d3 systems, Black copies White's solid set-up and keeps the bishop on the a7–g1 diagonal.
3.Bc4 is the most popular move against 1…e5 at club level. White's bishop aims at f7, the one square near Black's king that only the king defends. Black answers in kind with 3…Bc5, the Giuoco Piano.
White has two ways to play. The sharp way is c3 and d4, building a big centre; Black meets it with …Nf6 and pressure on e4, and is happy to take the pawn. The slow way, with d3, is what most club players choose now; Black mirrors it with …Nf6, …d6, …h6 and castling, and the bishop retreats to a7 when White pushes d4 or b4. The Evans Gambit, 4.b4, gets its own line: take the pawn and keep it.
At a glance
4.c3
…Nf6. After 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ take the e4 pawn with the knight; after 5.d3, …d6 and castle.
4.O-O or 4.d3
…Nf6, …d6, …h6, …O-O and …a6. The bishop goes back to a7, never to b6 where it can be swapped off.
4.b4 (the Evans)
…Bxb4 and, after 5.c3, …Ba5. Keep the pawn and finish developing.
5.d4 or 5.Re1
When White opens the centre early, take: …Bxd4 against d4, …Nxe4 once the rook leaves e1 unprotected.
Key ideas
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aBoth sides aim at f7 and f2
The bishops on c4 and c5 point at the squares next to the kings that only the king defends. Most early tactics in the Italian, for both sides, land on f7 or f2. Castle early and the problem goes away.
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aCounterattack the centre
If White builds a centre with c3 and d4, Black does not have to defend e5 to the end. Exchange on d4, give a check, and take the e4 pawn: White's centre disappears.
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aThe slow Italian: mirror and wait
Against d3, c3 and h3, Black plays the same: …d6, …h6, castling, and …a6 so the bishop can retreat to a7. Neither side can attack until the centre opens, and Black is ready for it.
From history
The quiet game
The Giuoco Piano, Italian for "quiet game", is one of the oldest recorded openings: Damiano recorded games with it in the early sixteenth century. In the early seventeenth century Gioachino Greco played the sharp line with 4.c3, 5.d4 and 7…Nxe4 that opens this chapter.
Møller's attack
After 8.O-O Bxc3, White used to take back with 9.bxc3, the line in this book. In 1898 the Danish master Jørgen Møller published 9.d5, a pawn push that keeps the attack going, in the magazine Tidsskrift for Skak. It is still called the Møller Attack.
A sea captain's gambit
Captain William Davies Evans, a Welsh sea captain, first played his gambit against Alexander McDonnell in London in 1827, and won. More than 150 years later Garry Kasparov used it to beat Viswanathan Anand in 25 moves at the Tal Memorial in Riga, 1995.
The lines
Click a move or use the arrows. Highlighted moves carry a note, and under each note you'll find the other moves played from that position, including the tempting mistakes. The number under the board is Stockfish's evaluation from your side: minus means your opponent is better.
1278hgfedcbaWhite castles
4.O-O, d3 and h3: the slow Italian
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White plays 4.d3
4.d3: the Giuoco Pianissimo
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White plays 4.Nc3
4.Nc3
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White plays 4.b4
The Evans Gambit: 4.b4
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White plays 5.d3
5.d3
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White plays 5.d4
5.d4: …Bxd4
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White plays 5.Re1
5.Re1
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White plays 5.Nc3
5.Nc3
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White plays 5.Bg5
5.Bg5: …h6
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White plays 5.Nc3
5.Nc3
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A model game
Games between masters, with the engine's evaluation under the board.
Magnus Carlsen plays the slow Italian exactly as this chapter recommends: …d6, …h6, …a6 and …Ba7, then …d5 once every piece is out. Andrey Esipenko's knight raid on h6 backfires, and Black's pieces take over.
FIDE World Cup · 0-1
Esipenko, Andrey – Carlsen, M., 2021
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Take these into your games
Keep the bishop on the diagonal
The bishop on c5 is Black's best piece in the Italian. When it is attacked, go back along the a7–g1 diagonal, not to e7 or d6.
Watch f7
Before every move, check whether Ng5 or Bxf7+ works for White. Castling and …h6 solve most of it.