For White · ECO C50-C59
The Italian Game at your rating: what Black really plays
Black to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
The Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) rating by rating: what Black really plays from 1000 to 2200, which lines score, and the traps that still work.
By valloch, founder of TatamiChess
Updated · Based on 107.2 million Lichess blitz and rapid games
In this guide
The short version
What you’ll face
Below 1000, most opponents answer with (40% of games). From 2000 up, takes over.
The trap that wins games
After , 72% of 1000-1200 players take back with and walk into the Fried Liver.
The move nobody prepares for
At 1400-1600, one opponent in 5 plays . The best answer is .
The blunder to avoid
Against , never play . The queen simply takes it.
What is the Italian Game?
It’s the position after . White brings out a knight, then puts the bishop on c4, where it stares at f7. Early in the game that’s the weak spot in Black’s camp, because only the king defends it.
The plan is easy to remember. Castle, build a center with c3 and d4, and keep an eye on f7. That’s why coaches love it for beginners, and why it’s the opening you’ll meet most in club games: after , 40% of games at 1000-1200 continue with 3.Bc4.
What Black plays at your rating
The chart at the top of the page tells most of the story, so pick your rating and have a look. Two replies dominate: , the Two Knights Defense, and , the Giuoco Piano. Beginners prefer the knight. The stronger the players, the more they go for the bishop: 42% at 2000-2200 and 52% among masters.
The surprise is . Books barely mention it, yet between 1000 and 1600 it’s the third most common move, with 18% of games at 1400-1600. It stops Ng5 before that’s even a threat, and it costs Black a whole move to do it. By 2000 it has almost vanished (3%), and its score drops too: 48% for Black at 1000-1200, 41% at 2000-2200.
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How do you really score in the Italian Game?
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The Two Knights (3...Nf6) and the Fried Liver
Against , the club player’s favorite is , hitting f7 with knight and bishop. And it works. White scores 60% with it below 1000 and 58% at 1000-1200. At 2000-2200 it falls to 50% because Black knows the defense, and the quieter becomes more popular.
The sound answer is 4...d5. Here’s what each level actually plays after 4.Ng5:
Under 1000 the costly habit is , which ignores the threat and scores 23%. And at 1400-1600 there’s an odd one: ?! scores 55% for Black, although engines give White a clear edge after . It works until it meets someone who knows the answer.
The key moment: 5.exd5
After , Black has to deal with the pawn on d5. This is where most of these games are decided.
Black to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
Taking back with feels natural, and 72% of 1000-1200 players do it. They score 38%. The book move is , which hits the bishop and gives the pawn back for fast development. It scores 54% at 1000-1200 and 50% at 2000-2200. The rarer (the Fritz) also does well in practice: 61% at 1000-1200.
TrapThe Fried Liver
After 5...Nxd5?, White sacrifices a knight with and drags the black king into the open. The only real square is , protecting the knight on d5.
Under 1000, 19% of players go ?? instead and score 1%. Even 7...Ke6 isn’t comfortable (46% for Black at 1000-1200), but at least the game goes on.
- 3...
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- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
White has a second way to punish 5...Nxd5: the Lolli Attack, , which opens the center without giving up a piece. Engines like both. At 2000-2200 the Lolli even scores a bit more (66% against 62%).
The Traxler: 4...Bc5!?
The wildest answer to 4.Ng5 ignores f7 completely. If White grabs the rook with , Black hits back with ! and the king hunt goes the other way.
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
Beginners grab: 85% of players under 1000 take the rook, and against shaky defense it works (61%). Higher up it backfires, with 44% at 2000-2200. The clean answer is , an extra pawn and no risk.
The Giuoco Piano (3...Bc5)
Giuoco Piano means “quiet game”. White has three plans here: a big center with 4.c3 and d4, a slow build-up with d3, or the Evans Gambit with 4.b4.
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
At club level scores best (57% under 1000, 54% at 1400-1600), and it’s also what masters play most (55%).
The main line: 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4
After , White chooses between the safe 7.Bd2 and the sharp 7.Nc3. After , most club players grab a second pawn with (60% at 1400-1600) and score just 37%.
The right follow-up is . The greedy 9...Bxc3? runs into 10.Ba3!, and after 10.Qb3 Bxa1? 11.Bxf7+ you get Greco’s famous game from around 1620. Stronger players prefer (80% at 2000-2200), which scores 52%.
The slow plan (Giuoco Pianissimo)
Top players mostly skip the early d4. After 4...Nf6 they play in 76% of their games and take their time. The usual setup looks like this:
- Castle, then Re1.
- h3, so ...Bg4 can never pin the knight.
- a4, to gain space and give the bishop a way back.
- The knight goes Nbd2-f1-g3.
- The bishop drops back to b3 or a2, so ...Na5 can’t trade it off.
The Evans Gambit: 4.b4
gives up a pawn to win time for c3 and d4. Black usually takes (67% at 1400-1600) and retreats with ...Ba5 after 5.c3. Kasparov brought it back against Anand in 1995, and it pays off at club level: White scores 57% under 1000 and 55% at 1400-1600.
Club moves: 3...h6, 3...Nd4 and the Légal trap
Against 3...h6
Castling is the most common reply, but scores best at every level. Black has spent a move on the edge of the board, so open the center while Black’s kingside is still asleep. After you’re clearly ahead in development.
TrapThe Blackburne Shilling Gambit
looks like a blunder because it leaves e5 hanging. That’s the point. If White grabs with 4.Nxe5?, then ! hits the knight and g2 at once, and is a smothered mate.
It happens a lot: 45% of 1000-1200 players take the rook, and they score 10%. The fix is simple, don’t take on e5. gives White a small, safe edge, and 4.O-O or 4.c3 are fine too.
- 3...
- 4.
- 5.
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- 7.
TrapThe Légal trap
After ?, White can play ! and offer the queen. If Black takes it, ends the game on the spot.
Black should trade with 5...Bxf3, or keep the bishop out of the pin with 5...Be6 or 5...Bd7.
- 3...
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
Cheat sheet
Playing White
- Below 1200, against 3...Nf6 wins games. Know 6.Nxf7 and 6.d4.
- Against 3...Bc5, never . Play c3 and d4, or the slow d3 setup.
- Against 3...Nd4, don’t take on e5. Take on d4 or castle.
- From 1400, expect 3...h6 about once every 5 games. Hit back with 4.d4.
- From 1800, people know 5...Na5. That’s the moment to switch to the slow d3 setup.
Facing it with Black
- After 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5, play . Never 5...Nxd5.
- Stuck in the Fried Liver? After 7.Qf3+ the king goes to e6.
- From 1400, the Traxler (4...Bc5) punishes players who grab on f7.
- Skip 3...h6. Both 3...Bc5 and 3...Nf6 do more for you.
- After ...Bg4 and h3, don’t leave the bishop on h5 when Nxe5 is possible. That’s the Légal trap.
Train it at your level
The charts show the average player at each rating. Your own games are more useful: they show which of these lines you actually reach, and where you drop points. TatamiChess reads your chess.com or Lichess games, scores the Italian line by line, then builds your repertoire around what people at your rating really play. So you practice 3...h6 and 5...Nxd5 first, not an Evans Gambit refutation nobody will ever play against you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Italian Game good for beginners?
Yes. You develop naturally, open lines toward the king, and learn the ideas that matter in every open game: the center, quick development and the weak f7 square. It’s also what you’ll face most. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, 40% of games between 1000-1200 players on Lichess continue with 3.Bc4.
What’s the difference between the Italian Game and the Giuoco Piano?
The Italian Game is the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. The Giuoco Piano (“quiet game”) is one branch of it, 3...Bc5. The other main branch, 3...Nf6, is the Two Knights Defense. The Giuoco Pianissimo is the slow version of the Giuoco Piano, where White plays d3 instead of an early d4.
How does Black avoid the Fried Liver Attack?
After 3...Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5, play 5...Na5 instead of 5...Nxd5. It scores 54% for Black at 1000-1200, against 38% for 5...Nxd5. You can also avoid it with the Traxler (4...Bc5) or by playing 3...Bc5 instead of 3...Nf6.
What should White play against 3...Nf6?
At club level, 4.Ng5 works best: White scores 60% with it below 1000 and 58% at 1000-1200. From around 2000, when opponents know 5...Na5, the quieter 4.d3 becomes the most played move and leads to a slower game.
Is the Evans Gambit sound?
Yes. The Evans Gambit (4.b4 against 3...Bc5) gives up a pawn for time and a strong center. It’s objectively fine, Kasparov used it at the top level, and it pays off in practice: White scores 55% at 1400-1600 on Lichess.
What is the best defense against the Italian Game?
3...Bc5 and 3...Nf6 are both sound. Below 2000, 3...Bc5 is the safer pick, because 3...Nf6 invites 4.Ng5 and the Fried Liver. Trap moves like 3...Nd4 score well at club level (53% for Black at 1000-1200), but only because opponents fall for them.
Your games, scored
How do you really score in the Italian Game?
Enter your chess.com or Lichess username. TatamiChess scores every opening you play, shows the ones costing you points, then trains you against what players at your rating actually play.
Free, no account needed.