Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line
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Statistics from Lichess
1,202,046 games: White 53.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 41.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 590,099590K | ||
| 224,396224K | ||
| 148,503149K | ||
| 127,379127K | ||
| 52,48552K | ||
| 16,54817K | ||
| 14,86515K | ||
| 14,34914K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 19, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 Bg4 11. h3
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 worse this line does for White: White scores 60% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 149K | |
| 1400–1799 | 686K | |
| 1800–2199 | 672K | |
| 2200 and up | 100K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,751 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – 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 27, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line (ECO C54, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 (6 moves).
In 1,202,046 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.8%, Black 41.5% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…d5, in 49% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Italian Game: Classical Variation, Ghulam-Kassim Variation. In all, 3 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, Modern Line
The most played answer, 6…d5, also scores best for Black: 51.9%, with Black winning 48.9% and White 45.2% of 590K games. Of the main answers, 6…Qe7 scores lowest: 33.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…d5.
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
The Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line has gained ground since 2016: 0.046% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.024% (its peak: 0.051% in 2023).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.024% | 8,639 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,662 |
| 2018 | 0.035% | 27,563 |
| 2019 | 0.034% | 42,876 |
| 2020 | 0.044% | 128,370 |
| 2021 | 0.05% | 195,057 |
| 2022 | 0.049% | 185,467 |
| 2023 | 0.051% | 193,557 |
| 2024 | 0.049% | 176,584 |
| 2025 | 0.046% | 160,303 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.046% | 50,110 |
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 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line (C54)”. Lichess data as of 19 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-greco-gambit-modern-line