Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
160,779 games: White 45.6% / Draw 2.9% / Black 51.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 102,056102K | ||
| 34,34634K | ||
| 10,34910K | ||
| 8,1338,133 | ||
| 2,8202,820 | ||
| 1,2691,269 | ||
| 890890 | ||
| 396396 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. cxd4 Nxe4 9. d5 Ne7 10. Qd4 Nf6 11. Bg5 c5 12. Qxc5 Ne4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense (ECO C52, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. O-O Nf6 7. d4 exd4 (7 moves).
In 160,779 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.6%, Black 51.5% and 2.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. e5, in 63% of those games.
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: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense
8. Ba3 scores best for White: 57.7%, with White winning 56.2% and Black 40.8% of 10K games. The most played, 8. e5, scores 46.8% in 102K games, and 8. Qb3 scores lowest: 42.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 8. cxd4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense (C52)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-anderssen-defense