Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Waller Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
48,199 games: White 55.6% / Draw 3.0% / Black 41.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 28,94829K | ||
| 8,2708,270 | ||
| 7,1757,175 | ||
| 1,6451,645 | ||
| 351351 | ||
| 333333 | ||
| 292292 | ||
| 285285 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Nxd4 Bb6 11. Nxe6 Qe7 12. Bg5 Qf7 13. Na3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Waller Attack (ECO C52, 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. Qb3 (8 moves).
In 48,199 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.6%, Black 41.4% and 3.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Qe7, in 60% 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, Waller Attack
8…Qf6 scores best for Black: 49.0%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 49.7% of 8,270 games. The most played answer, 8…Qe7, scores lowest: 41.9% in 29K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…Be6.
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, Waller Attack (C52)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-evans-gambit-waller-attack