Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Richardson Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
300 games: White 48.7% / Draw 4.7% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 182182 | ||
| 101101 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.50 Black is slightly better
Best play: 8... Nxe4 9. Bxf7+ Rxf7 10. Nxf7 Kxf7 11. d5 Ne7 12. Qa4 Bxc3 13. Nxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Richardson Attack (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 O-O 8. Nxe5 (8 moves).
In 300 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 46.7% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Nxe5, in 61% 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, Richardson Attack
8…Nxe4 scores best for Black: 52.5%, with Black winning 50.5% and White 45.5% of 101 games. The most played answer, 8…Nxe5, scores lowest: 45.3% in 182 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…Nxe4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Richardson Attack (C52)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-richardson-attack