Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Steinitz Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
7,310 games: White 53.6% / Draw 4.9% / Black 41.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,7054,705 | ||
| 997997 | ||
| 870870 | ||
| 407407 | ||
| 195195 | ||
| 6060 | ||
| 2525 | ||
| 1919 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−2.54 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 56.0% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 10... dxc4 11. Re1 Qd5 12. Nd2 Be6 13. Nxe4 O-O-O 14. Bc1 b6 15. Bf4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Steinitz Variation (ECO C54, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line, 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 Bxc3 9. bxc3 d5 10. Ba3 (10 moves).
In 7,310 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.6%, Black 41.5% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…dxc4, in 64% 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, Steinitz Variation
10…Bg4 scores best for Black: 46.3%, with Black winning 43.7% and White 51.1% of 407 games. The most played, 10…dxc4, scores 45.7% in 4,705 games, and 10…Be6 scores lowest: 39.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 10…dxc4.
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, Steinitz Variation (C54)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-piano-steinitz-variation