Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
4,260 games: White 59.0% / Draw 4.6% / Black 36.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,6903,690 | ||
| 525525 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 1212 | ||
| 1111 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.81 White is better
Best play: 11. Qxc3 dxc4 12. d5 Ne7 13. Bh6 Qxd5 14. Rad1 Qh5 15. Bxg7 Rg8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Greco Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bxc3 10. Qb3 d5 (10 moves).
In 4,260 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 59.0%, Black 36.5% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. Bxd5, in 87% 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: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation
The most played answer, 11. Bxd5, also scores best for White: 62.6%, with White winning 60.5% and Black 35.3% of 3,690 games. Of the main answers, 11. Qxc3 scores lowest: 53.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 11. Qxc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation (C54)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-piano-bernstein-variation