Caissa Codex
C52

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line

Chess diagram: Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line after 11. Ba3

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

4,380 games: White 46.9% / Draw 3.5% / Black 49.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
2,6572,657
1,4051,405
151151
5252
3838
3030
1515
1313

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.21 The position is about equal

Best play: 11... Rb8 12. Nd5 b5 13. Bd3 Qe6 14. Be4 b4 15. Bb2 h6 16. Rfe1

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line (ECO C52, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Ba3 (11 moves).

In 4,380 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 49.6% and 3.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 11…O-O, in 61% of those games.

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How to play against the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line

The most played answer, 11…O-O, also scores best for Black: 54.5%, with Black winning 52.7% and White 43.7% of 2,657 games. Of the main answers, 11…Bxc3 scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 11…Rb8.

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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Ba3, the position after Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line (C52)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-compromised-defense-main-line

https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-compromised-defense-main-line