Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
219,891 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.8% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 88,17488K | ||
| 54,16154K | ||
| 27,70728K | ||
| 24,81525K | ||
| 14,58515K | ||
| 3,1643,164 | ||
| 3,0423,042 | ||
| 1,7921,792 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Ne5 10. Qe2 O-O 11. bxc3 Nxc4 12. Qxc4 Nd6 13. Qf4 b6 14. Ba3
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 58% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6,622 | |
| 1400–1799 | 44K | |
| 1800–2199 | 148K | |
| 2200 and up | 39K | |
| Masters, over the board | 194 |
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, Moeller-Therkatz Attack (ECO C54, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line, 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 9. d5 (9 moves).
In 219,891 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 44.5% and 5.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Bf6, in 40% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation and Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Bayonet Attack.
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, Moeller-Therkatz Attack
The most played answer, 9…Bf6, also scores best for Black: 54.1%, with Black winning 50.9% and White 42.7% of 88K games. Of the main answers, 9…Na5 scores lowest: 34.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Ne5.
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, Moeller-Therkatz Attack peaked in 2018 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0078% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0089% | 3,172 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 6,107 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,838 |
| 2019 | 0.0096% | 11,986 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 31,494 |
| 2021 | 0.0084% | 32,908 |
| 2022 | 0.008% | 30,062 |
| 2023 | 0.0078% | 29,337 |
| 2024 | 0.0076% | 27,272 |
| 2025 | 0.0078% | 27,013 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0075% | 8,200 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack (C54)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-classical-variation-greco-gambit-moeller-therkatz-attack