Opening family

Italian Game Lines and Variations

The Italian Game family contains 184 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO C50 to C59. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.

How to study this family

Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.

Main named lines

• C50 · Italian Game
• C50 · Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
• C50 · Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit
• C50 · Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
• C50 · Italian Game: Hungarian Defense
• C50 · Italian Game: Paris Defense
• C50 · Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit
• C55 · Italian Game: Two Knights Defense
• C50 · Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo
• C50 · Italian Game: Jerome Gambit
• C50 · Italian Game: Rosentreter Gambit
• C51 · Italian Game: Evans Gambit
• C53 · Italian Game: Classical Variation
• C55 · Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening
• C56 · Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Open Variation
• C57 · Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knight Attack
• C50 · Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Lucchini Gambit
• C50 · Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal
• C51 · Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted
• C51 · Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined
• C51 · Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fontaine Countergambit
• C51 · Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Hein Countergambit
• C53 · Italian Game: Classical Variation, Closed Variation
• C54 · Italian Game: Classical Variation

Deep theory branches

• 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 — Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qb3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Kf8 13. Qc2 Kxf7 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mortimer-Evans Gambit
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. g4 Qg6 12. Nce4 Bb6 13. f4 O-O-O — Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Berger Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qb3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Kf8 13. Qc2 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser-Mortimer Attack
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Nf6+ Ke7 13. b4 — Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Yurdansky Attack
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Nh6 7. d4 d6 8. Bxh6 dxe5 9. Bxg7 Rg8 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Bxe5 Qg5 12. Nd2 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Pavlov Variation
• 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. g4 — Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Bayonet Attack
• 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 — Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Krause Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. d4 Qc7 12. Bd2 — Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. Nce4 Bf8 — Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Rubinstein Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3 Nb4 9. Qe4 c6 10. a3 Na6 11. d4 Nc7 — Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O d6 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Steinitz Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Ba3 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3 8. Qb3 Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Nxc3 Nge7 11. Rd1 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Potter Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. O-O Bb6 10. Ba3 Na5 11. Nxe5 — Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Levenfish Variation
• 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bd2 Qd5 11. Bg5 — Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line

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