Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo
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Statistics from Lichess
6,891,510 games: White 47.3% / Draw 4.8% / Black 47.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal | 2,876,2572.9M | |
| 2,041,7362M | ||
| 1,599,9691.6M | ||
| 135,110135K | ||
| 59,26459K | ||
| 58,45358K | ||
| Lucchini Gambit | 30,09330K | |
| 21,64522K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. c3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. Re1 O-O 8. h3 Ba7 9. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 8.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 222K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,206 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Vidit, S.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (ECO C50, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 (4 moves).
In 6,891,510 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.3%, Black 47.9% and 4.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 42% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation and Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Lucchini Gambit. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
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: Giuoco Pianissimo
4…d6 scores best for Black: 51.6%, with Black winning 49.3% and White 46.1% of 2M games. The most played answer, 4…Nf6, scores lowest: 49.9% in 2.9M games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Nf6.
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
Popularity by year
The Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo peaked in 2021 at 0.3% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.26% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.25% | 87,628 |
| 2017 | 0.24% | 131,159 |
| 2018 | 0.21% | 166,278 |
| 2019 | 0.22% | 277,689 |
| 2020 | 0.27% | 796,568 |
| 2021 | 0.3% | 1,166,000 |
| 2022 | 0.28% | 1,048,474 |
| 2023 | 0.27% | 1,016,952 |
| 2024 | 0.27% | 950,688 |
| 2025 | 0.26% | 887,284 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.24% | 266,376 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (C50)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-pianissimo