Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
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Statistics from Lichess
4,917,065 games: White 50.4% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,862,9711.9M | ||
| 1,343,4341.3M | ||
| 894,513895K | ||
| with a6 | 284,198284K | |
| Italian Game: Classical Variation, with d5 | 226,182226K | |
| 91,13391K | ||
| 89,07289K | ||
| 60,00460K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.16 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d6 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 h6 8. Re1 a5 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 439K | |
| Masters, over the board | 15K |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Kramnik, V.
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: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 (5 moves).
In 4,917,065 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 44.9% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d6, in 38% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a6 and Italian Game: Classical Variation, with d5. In all, 8 named lines continue from it.
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: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
5…a6 (with a6) scores best for Black: 48.4%, with Black winning 45.9% and White 49.0% of 284K games. The most played, 5…d6, scores 48.2% in 1.9M games, and 5…O-O scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…d6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo has gained ground since 2016: 0.2% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.1%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 35,810 |
| 2017 | 0.14% | 76,931 |
| 2018 | 0.15% | 118,793 |
| 2019 | 0.16% | 196,340 |
| 2020 | 0.18% | 534,184 |
| 2021 | 0.19% | 760,442 |
| 2022 | 0.2% | 752,072 |
| 2023 | 0.2% | 747,646 |
| 2024 | 0.2% | 726,245 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 686,952 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.19% | 212,968 |
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
Variations (3)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (C54)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-giuoco-pianissimo