Italian Game

What is the Italian Game?

The Italian Game begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. White develops the bishop to its most active diagonal, eyes the weak f7 square and prepares to castle quickly. It is one of the oldest openings in chess and is played at every level, from beginners' first games to elite tournaments. Some lines are sharply tactical, but in modern practice White usually treats it as a slow, positional opening.

Main ideas and plans

If Black brings the bishop to c5, you choose between two plans. The classical Giuoco Piano, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+, opens the centre at once; sharp, concrete lines such as the Steinitz, Bernstein and Aitken Variations arise when you block the check with Nc3 and allow ...Nxe4. The main modern approach is the Giuoco Pianissimo, for example 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3: you castle, play Re1, h3 and a4, bring the queen's knight round via d2 and f1 to g3, retreat the bishop to b3 or c2 when it is attacked, and only then prepare d4. Black usually mirrors this with ...d6, ...a6 and ...h6, so patient piece play and the timing of d4 decide the game.

If Black develops the other knight instead, the Two Knights Defense, you can play quietly with d3 or attack f7 with Ng5. In the Polerio Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5, Black gives a pawn for quick development and chases your bishop, and you must defend precisely to keep the extra pawn. If Black instead recaptures on d5 with the knight, the sacrifice on f7, known as the Fegatello or Fried Liver Attack, gives you a dangerous attack. For a more open game you can strike in the centre: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 is the Max Lange Attack, famous for its long forcing lines.

Who is it for?

The Italian suits almost everyone. Beginners learn fast development, the fight for the centre and the weakness of f7, while experienced players use the Pianissimo for long strategic games with relatively little forced theory. The main downside is that Black equalises comfortably with accurate play, so in the quiet lines you need to understand the plans rather than rely on traps. Before you start, learn the critical replies to Ng5, above all the Traxler Counterattack, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5, and get used to the Pianissimo regrouping with Re1 and the knight journey d2-f1-g3.