Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo 5…d6 6. d3
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Statistics from Lichess
821,282 games: White 42.0% / Draw 4.7% / Black 53.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 347,195347K | ||
| 197,213197K | ||
| 100,873101K | ||
| 65,09065K | ||
| 50,05950K | ||
| 18,06118K | ||
| 10,40710K | ||
| 8,7888,788 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Na5 7. Bg5 Nxc4 8. dxc4 Be6 9. Qd3 a5 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. cxd5
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 47% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 925K | |
| 1800–2199 | 391K | |
| 2200 and up | 27K | |
| Masters, over the board | 95 |
Master games
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Shirov, A. – Giri, A.
- Zvjaginsev, V. – Duda, J.
- Zvjaginsev, V. – Rodshtein, M.
- Sindarov, J. – Gagunashvili, M.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (ECO C50, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nc3 d6 6. d3 (6 moves).
In 821,282 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 42.0%, Black 53.3% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bg4, in 42% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. d3
The most played answer, 6…Bg4, also scores best for Black: 59.5%, with Black winning 57.4% and White 38.5% of 347K games. Of the main answers, 6…O-O scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…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
Popularity by year
This line peaked in 2021 at 0.037% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.029% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.025% | 8,906 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,400 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 20,863 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 33,100 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 101,560 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 144,341 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 126,476 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 120,360 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 108,001 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 101,065 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 30,857 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (C50)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-pianissimo-2