Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
11,094,288 games: White 53.7% / Draw 4.5% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,809,4402.8M | ||
| 2,540,9222.5M | ||
| 2,132,4122.1M | ||
| 1,670,4651.7M | ||
| 1,406,4411.4M | ||
| 218,601219K | ||
| 166,769167K | ||
| 30,08630K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.51 White is slightly better
Best play: 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 48% under 1400, 41% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 14.1M | |
| 1400–1799 | 18.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.3M | |
| 2200 and up | 22K | |
| Masters, over the board | 28 |
Master games
- Preotu, R. – Ponkratov, P.
- Komliakov, V. – Mukhametov, E.
- Velicka, P. – Blatny, P.
- Svidler, P. – Blatny, P.
- Tutisani, N. – Golubov, S.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense (ECO C50, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 (3 moves).
In 11,094,288 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.7%, Black 41.8% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d4, in 25% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
The most played answer, 4. d4, also scores best for White: 58.6%, with White winning 56.5% and Black 39.2% of 2.8M games. Of the main answers, 4. d3 scores lowest: 53.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.37% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.64%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.64% | 227,001 |
| 2017 | 0.51% | 280,724 |
| 2018 | 0.39% | 303,190 |
| 2019 | 0.4% | 500,158 |
| 2020 | 0.46% | 1,356,190 |
| 2021 | 0.52% | 2,046,591 |
| 2022 | 0.45% | 1,679,679 |
| 2023 | 0.41% | 1,528,412 |
| 2024 | 0.38% | 1,367,178 |
| 2025 | 0.37% | 1,266,499 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.34% | 373,403 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense (C50)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-anti-fried-liver-defense