Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo 6…h6 7. Re1
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Statistics from Lichess
114,922 games: White 49.8% / Draw 4.9% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 44,74745K | ||
| 36,93737K | ||
| 9,3379,337 | ||
| 6,4346,434 | ||
| 4,9504,950 | ||
| 4,2304,230 | ||
| 2,3122,312 | ||
| 1,9691,969 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... a5 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Nf1 Bb6 10. h3 Ne7 11. Bb3 Be6 12. Bc2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with h6, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 h6 7. Re1 (7 moves).
In 114,922 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 45.4% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…O-O, in 39% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 7. Re1
The most played answer, 7…O-O, also scores best for Black: 48.3%, with Black winning 45.7% and White 49.0% of 45K games. Of the main answers, 7…Bg4 scores lowest: 46.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…a5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (C54)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-giuoco-pianissimo-10