Chess Codex
Tree path 13 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Italian Game › Giuoco Piano › Italian Game: Classical Variation › Italian Game: Classical Variation › Center Attack › Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Traditional Line › Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack › Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line › Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack › Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation
  1. Chess Codex
  2. King's Pawn Game C20
  3. King's Knight Opening C40
  4. Normal Variation C44
  5. Italian Game C50
  6. Giuoco Piano C50
  7. Italian Game: Classical Variation C53
  8. Italian Game: Classical Variation C54
  9. Center Attack C54
  10. Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Traditional Line C54
  11. Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack C54
  12. Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line C54
  13. Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack C54
  14. Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation C54 you are here
C54

Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation

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Overview

Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C54.

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 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Bf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. Bg5 Bxg5 13. Nxg5 O-O 14. Nxh7, after 27 plies of opening development.

In the opening tree, this line branches off from Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.

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
C54
Group
Open Games (C)
Plies
27
Parent
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack

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

7,483 games · White 45.2% / Draw 9.3% / Black 45.4%

MovesGamesW / D / B
Kxh75,341
Bf51,965
Re8113
Ng635
f520
Kh86
Nf52
f61

Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:32:00

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Related variations at the same level

Sister lines that share the same parent Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack:

https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-giuoco-piano-therkatz-herzog-variation