Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo 6. c3 d5
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Statistics from Lichess
237,222 games: White 49.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 45.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 228,238228K | ||
| 3,9513,951 | ||
| 1,2361,236 | ||
| 844844 | ||
| 578578 | ||
| 478478 | ||
| 392392 | ||
| 392392 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Re1 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. b4 Bb6 11. a4 a6
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 48% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 81K | |
| 1400–1799 | 172K | |
| 1800–2199 | 119K | |
| 2200 and up | 28K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,033 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Kramnik, V.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
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 O-O 6. c3 d5 (6 moves).
In 237,222 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 45.5% and 4.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. exd5, in 96% of those games.
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Popularity by year
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.0082% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0064% (its peak: 0.01% in 2021).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0064% | 2,279 |
| 2017 | 0.008% | 4,389 |
| 2018 | 0.0098% | 7,696 |
| 2019 | 0.0097% | 12,104 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,903 |
| 2021 | 0.01% | 39,362 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 37,724 |
| 2023 | 0.0089% | 33,635 |
| 2024 | 0.0086% | 30,874 |
| 2025 | 0.0082% | 28,467 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.008% | 8,726 |
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: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo (C54)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-giuoco-pianissimo-4