Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
29,775 games: White 50.4% / Draw 3.4% / Black 46.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit | 13,99014K | |
| 5,4805,480 | ||
| 3,8733,873 | ||
| 3,5943,594 | ||
| 1,2971,297 | ||
| 562562 | ||
| 374374 | ||
| 231231 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Na5 10. Bd3 Ne7 11. h3 O-O 12. Re1 Nac6 13. Bc2 Ng6 14. Nd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack (ECO C51, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 (9 moves).
In 29,775 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 46.2% and 3.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Bg4, in 47% 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, Morphy Attack
The most played answer, 9…Bg4 (Italian Game: Evans Gambit), also scores best for Black: 51.5%, with Black winning 49.7% and White 46.7% of 14K games. Of the main answers, 9…Nge7 scores lowest: 38.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…Na5.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack (C51)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-morphy-attack