Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo 5. d3 d6
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Statistics from Lichess
2,001,288 games: White 49.5% / Draw 4.8% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 539,171539K | ||
| 397,243397K | ||
| 216,675217K | ||
| 196,496196K | ||
| 188,070188K | ||
| Albin Variation | 184,427184K | |
| 155,083155K | ||
| 44,66745K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. O-O a5 7. Re1 O-O 8. h3 h6 9. Bb5 Ba7 10. Nbd2 Ne7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 46% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 433K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 247K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,135 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Duda, J. K. – Carlsen, M.
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, Giuoco Pianissimo, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 (5 moves).
In 2,001,288 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 45.6% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 27% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Albin Variation and Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a4 a5.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5…d6
6. Bb3 scores best for White: 55.1%, with White winning 52.7% and Black 42.5% of 217K games. The most played, 6. O-O, scores 52.1% in 539K games, and 6. b4 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. O-O.
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
This line is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.086% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.036%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,719 |
| 2017 | 0.053% | 29,406 |
| 2018 | 0.06% | 47,260 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 76,663 |
| 2020 | 0.072% | 211,718 |
| 2021 | 0.073% | 285,611 |
| 2022 | 0.079% | 295,883 |
| 2023 | 0.082% | 308,593 |
| 2024 | 0.087% | 311,231 |
| 2025 | 0.086% | 299,581 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.085% | 93,352 |
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 (5)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (C54)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-giuoco-pianissimo-2