Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
475,955 games: White 44.9% / Draw 5.4% / Black 49.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 249,858250K | ||
| Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack | 219,998220K | |
| 2,4392,439 | ||
| 835835 | ||
| 827827 | ||
| 635635 | ||
| 441441 | ||
| 429429 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. d5 Ne5 10. Qe2 O-O 11. bxc3 Nxc4 12. Qxc4 Nd6 13. Qf4 b6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 33K | |
| 1400–1799 | 172K | |
| 1800–2199 | 306K | |
| 2200 and up | 53K | |
| Masters, over the board | 200 |
Master games
- Van Foreest, J. – Aronian, L.
- Gashimov, V. – Dominguez Perez, L.
- Dzindzichashvili, R. – Karpov, A.
- Beerdsen, T. – L'Ami, E.
- Felgaer, R. – Lafuente, P.
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, Greco Gambit, Main Line (ECO C54, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 (8 moves).
In 475,955 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.9%, Black 49.7% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. bxc3, in 52% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack and Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Steinitz Variation. In all, 4 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, Greco Gambit, Main Line
9. d5 (Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack) scores best for White: 52.6%, with White winning 49.7% and Black 44.5% of 220K games. The most played answer, 9. bxc3, scores lowest: 43.5% in 250K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 9. d5.
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
The Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line peaked in 2018 at 0.021% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.018% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,599 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,404 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,862 |
| 2019 | 0.019% | 23,259 |
| 2020 | 0.021% | 61,546 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 71,558 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 67,065 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 68,582 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 62,870 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 61,666 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,262 |
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 (2)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line (C54)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-greco-gambit-main-line