Tree path 11 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Italian Game › Giuoco Piano › Italian Game: Evans Gambit › Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted › Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense › Main Line › Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Ulvestad Variation › Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation
- Caissa Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Italian Game C50
- Giuoco Piano C50
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit C51
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted C51
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense C51
- Main Line C51
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Ulvestad Variation C51
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation C51 you are here
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation
Overview
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation is a gambit, classified under ECO code C51 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. d5 Na5 10. Bb2 Ne7, after 20 plies of opening development.
It is a variation of Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Ulvestad Variation, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C51
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 20
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
257 games · White 44.7% / Draw 4.3% / Black 51.0%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Bb5+ | 142 | |
| Bxg7 | 58 | |
| Bd3 | 38 | |
| Qa4+ | 8 | |
| Bb3 | 6 | |
| Be2 | 2 | |
| Na3 | 2 | |
| Nbd2 | 1 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:26:10
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