Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Cracow Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
18,015 games: White 52.9% / Draw 3.6% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 7,9327,932 | ||
| 4,6904,690 | ||
| 3,9463,946 | ||
| 1,1891,189 | ||
| 136136 | ||
| 2727 | ||
| 2525 | ||
| 1818 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nc3 Be6 10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. Qb3 Bxc4+ 12. Qxc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Cracow Variation (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Traditional Line, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Kf1 (7 moves).
In 18,015 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.9%, Black 43.5% and 3.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Nxe4, in 44% 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, Cracow Variation
7…d5 scores best for Black: 51.6%, with Black winning 49.3% and White 46.1% of 4,690 games. The most played, 7…Nxe4, scores 44.0% in 7,932 games, and 7…d6 scores lowest: 34.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…d5.
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: Giuoco Piano, Cracow Variation (C54)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-piano-cracow-variation