Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Krause Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
213 games: White 81.2% / Draw 2.8% / Black 16.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8282 | ||
| 5555 | ||
| 3131 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 44 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.58 White is slightly better
Best play: 12... Nd6 13. Qxb4 Re8 14. O-O Ke7 15. f4 Kf8 16. Nd2 a5 17. Qc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Krause 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. Bd2 Nxe4 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Qb3+ d5 11. Ne5+ Kf6 12. f3 (12 moves).
In 213 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 81.2%, Black 16.0% and 2.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 12…Nd6, in 38% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Krause Variation (C54)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-piano-krause-variation