Tree path 5 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Italian Game › Giuoco Piano
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Italian Game C50
- Giuoco Piano C50 you are here
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C50.
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, after 6 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Italian Game, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
14 distinct sub-variations branch from this opening; prominent examples include Four Knights Game: Italian Variation, Italian Game: Classical Variation, Italian Game: Classical Variation, Albin Gambit, and others.
This is a deep theory tree with 112 total sub-variations across all depths — one of the larger branches in chess theory.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C50
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 6
- Parent
- Italian Game
- Direct variations
- 14
- Total in subtree
- 112
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
40,062,805 games · White 49.4% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.1%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| c3 | 12,778,444 | |
| O-O | 9,780,727 | |
| d3 | 6,579,865 | |
| Nc3 | 4,074,160 | |
| b4 | 3,870,654 | |
| d4 | 1,595,802 | |
| a3 | 386,111 | |
| Bxf7+ | 251,248 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:27:06
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Variations (14)
- C50 Four Knights Game: Italian Variation
- C53 Italian Game: Classical Variation
- C50 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Albin Gambit
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a5
- C54 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with h6
- C50 Italian Game: Deutz Gambit
- C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit
- C50 Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo
- C50 Italian Game: Jerome Gambit
- C50 Italian Game: Rosentreter Gambit
Show all 112 sub-variations (full subtree)
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