Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo 5…h6 6. c3
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Statistics from Lichess
1,402,142 games: White 50.7% / Draw 4.7% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with h6 | 603,886604K | |
| 529,041529K | ||
| 109,345109K | ||
| 55,71556K | ||
| 43,00043K | ||
| 21,71222K | ||
| 13,27013K | ||
| 12,47112K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... d6 7. b4 Bb6 8. Nbd2 Ne7 9. a4 a5 10. b5 Ng6 11. d4
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 White: White scores 51% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 533K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 680K | |
| 2200 and up | 37K | |
| Masters, over the board | 296 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Caruana, F. – Nakamura, H.
- Aronian, L. – So, W.
- Aronian, L. – Nakamura, H.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. c3 (6 moves).
In 1,402,142 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 44.6% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…d6, in 43% 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 6. c3
The most played answer, 6…d6 (Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with h6), also scores best for Black: 47.8%, with Black winning 45.4% and White 49.8% of 604K games. Of the main answers, 6…a6 scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.054% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.032% (its peak: 0.059% in 2022).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.032% | 11,416 |
| 2017 | 0.042% | 22,955 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 33,234 |
| 2019 | 0.047% | 58,121 |
| 2020 | 0.053% | 155,868 |
| 2021 | 0.059% | 230,981 |
| 2022 | 0.059% | 222,223 |
| 2023 | 0.055% | 206,604 |
| 2024 | 0.055% | 198,858 |
| 2025 | 0.054% | 186,000 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.052% | 57,442 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (C54)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-giuoco-pianissimo-3