Questions tagged [italian-game]
A chess game that opens with `1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4`. It is among the oldest of openings.
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Hunting for a particular piece of chess footage
I've been trying to find a particular clip which I remember from a while ago (or the game associated to this clip).
There was some commentary, I think part of a broadcast / commentary associated to ...
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Does the Giuoco Pianissimo also include the Italian Four Knights or is the Giuoco Pianissimo only when White plays Pawn to c3?
I searched on Google and all websites say that the Giuoco Pianissimo is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3. But after 4...Nf6, White has two options: c3 and Nc3. Does the Giuoco Pianissimo include both ...
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Why is 4. Ng5 in the Two Knights not common in current (2024) top-level chess?
When following the ongoing 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament, I notice that Black often plays the Two Knights Defense in response to the Italian, but White goes for a quiet Giuoco Piano line instead of ...
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In the Polerio defence of the Italian game - 2 knights variation, why does capturing with the knight give white an advantage
In the following position, it seems to make sense to me to recapture white's light squared bishop with Nxd7 which would add a defender to black's hanging central pawn, however according to engines ...
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Resources on the closed Italian
What are some good books, courses, etc to learn the slow Italian with d3? I want to start playing the slow Italian with d3 as it keeps lots of pieces on the board and leads to rich middle games and am ...
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Why is 11...Qg6 the best move in this line of the italian?
In the following position:
2kr3r/ppp1bppp/2nq4/1N2pb2/8/3PBN2/PPP2PPP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 4 11
The engine (Stockfish 14) suggests 11...Qg6 as the best move for black. It evaluates 11...Qg6 -3.4 compared to ...
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Counter to ...Be6 in the Italian Game?
I have been exploring the Italian Game (especially 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3) for a while, and at several points in the opening, I have seen Black play his bishop to e6 to directly counter the ...
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Is Nxd5 playable in the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense?
The following move is considered dubvious in lichess.org opennings explorer because of the sacrifice in f7:
[FEN "r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n2n2/3Pp1N1/2B5/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 0 5"]
1... ...
user27142
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Why is the immediate ...d5 in the 4. d3 Italian not played?
The line may seem suspicious at first, but after a few precise moves (some may say artificial moves) by Black an interesting middlegame position is reached.
I did some analysis on my own and probably ...
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Why does White trade off into an endgame in the main line of the Hungarian Defense?
I'm having trouble understanding the point of White's play in this variation (specifically 5.dxe5):
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 d6 5. dxe5!? dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Bxd8
Why does ...
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Resources on Italian Game, Two Knights Defense with 4. d3 h6 and quick ...g5
Do any books or other resources discuss this variation for Black? Does it have a name?
The general idea is to go 4...h6, then ...d6 and ...g5 in some order, depending on what White does.
S. Mamedyarov ...
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What is the point of playing the 5.d3 (or 6.d3) Ruy Lopez, when White can play Giuoco Piano (or Modern Italian)?
As title above, what is the point of playing the 5.d3 (or 6.d3) Ruy Lopez, when White can play Giuoco Piano (or Modern Italian)? In other words, why play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 (or ...
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Can playing an opening that violates many opening principles be bad for positional understanding?
As the title says, and I have a concrete example in mind, g5 attack against the Italian:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6
5. O-O d6 6. c3 g5
Which can go like this:
[FEN &...
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Why don't masters prevent the pin after Bg4 in the modern Italian game?
In the Italian game, according to the Lichess masters database, the play usually starts similarly to
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Bb3
However, ...
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Why is White's accuracy 99.7% instead of 100.0%?
Here is a short game played online at chess.com.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 d6 5. d4 Bb6 6. dxe5
Black resigned for some unknown reason; maybe a mouse slip or he/she ...
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Why is it funny to say Giri played the Evans Gambit?
At 0:55 in this video, Youtuber agadmator claims Anish Giri played the Evans Gambit in the Italian Game:
[fen ""]
[Black "Anish Giri"]
[White "Kirill Alekseenko"]
[Event "Candidates 2020 (Joke Line)"]...
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Variation in Max Lange Attack
In the position at 15:29 of this video, what are some possible variations the line starting with the move 12...Qe5 that lead to an advantage for white?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. ...
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Moving f6 pawn in Max Lange Attack
In the position at 14:28 of this video, why can't black just make the move f6? I wish to know as it was stated in the video that black will lose the other rook.
[FEN "2k3r1/ppp1qpPp/2n1b3/2b3B1/...
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How to counter white's attempt to get a massive center in the Giucco Piano?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3
When white plays 4. c3 and prepares to push d4 to get a massive center, how is it possible to prevent them from doing so, or at least put a lot of ...
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How to play vs. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6?
As title above, how to play vs.
[fen ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6
I see that this move (3...d6) is generally considered inferior in books, or not even mentioned in books about 3.Bc4, but I ...
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Italian Game Response As Black
How do I respond to the Italian Game here?
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Ng5 d6 (I kind of got lost here)
5. Nxf7 1-0
What should I have done against this as Black? For reference me ...
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Making the giuoco piano interesting as white [closed]
Does anyone have advice to give against the giuoco piano ? I find this opening boring for white after 3... Bc5 and I'd like to find a way to keep playing the italian without risking to play a boring ...
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Giuoco Piano, Steinitz Variation
[fen ""]
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
Steinitz Variation.
We play this in regular tournaments and it is very ...
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In the Giuoco Piano, why is 4.0-0 currently so popular at top level?
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O
In recent years, the move 4.O-O has taken over from 4.d3 almost entirely -- in my database of TWIC games, if I look at 2750+ games from the last ...
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What happened to the Giuoco Pianissimo?
Throughout a fairly long chess career, I have always regarded 4.d3 after 1.e4 e5, 2.Nf3 Nc6, 3.Bc4 Bc5 as a good beginner's move but not threatening, and I have felt sure that most strong players ...
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What's the point of early a2-a4 in the Modern Italian?
It seems that just every top GM is now playing the modern interpretation of the Italian Game (with c3 and d3) with an early a2 to a4 Pawn move, something that only a few years back was considered a ...
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Giuoco Piano to Kids
What to tell to a kid of 6 years about Giuoco Piano opening? Isn't it to calculative or aggressive for a beginner of 6 years?
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Best reply against the Italian Game after 3...h6 4. d4?
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. d4:
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. d4
What is the best answer to avoid pile up of opponent ...
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What are some good books on the Italian game, including the Evans Gambit and Two Knights Defense family of openings?
It's been about 10 years since I played tournament chess regularly. My last rating was 1586 USCF, but it had been as high as 1717.
I recently decided to get back into playing chess, and am looking ...
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What is the best move for Black?
[FEN ""]
[startply "25"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 d6 5. h3 Be7 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Re1 Re8 13. Qf3
What is the best move for ...
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How can black exploit this lead in development?
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Ng5 O-O 6.Bxf7 Rxf7 7.Nxf7 Kxf7
I understand that black should aim for d7-d5 to open up the game, but what else? Are piece exchanges good or bad? Can I get a ...
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In Nakamura v. Friedel in 2009, (22. Bc1) why did Friedel resign?
After White's 22. Bc1, it seems like responding with Rd2 would keep the game alive for Black. I assume Friedel's a more insightful player than I am. What am I missing? That is, from an experienced ...
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Is the Spanish opening better than the Italian opening (for white)?
I am currently playing the Italian opening with the white pieces.
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
I have been training with a higher rating player, who suggests to switch to the Spanish ...
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Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Kloss Gambit (C57)
In my recent effort to play as many Evan's Gambit games and an ocassional Lolli Attack, I recently had this game as White:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nb4 6. Nc3 Nbxd5 7....
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Options for breaking the Giuoco Pianissimo wide open?
I don't like the Giuoco Pianissimo
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5
4. d3
because I find it very slow and boring. The cramped center and overall board make me want to just resign, so as ...
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How should I defend against this sacrifice in the Two Knights Defense?
I often get to play this opening :
[fen ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. Nc3 Bg4 (5... Be7 6. Be3 Bg4) (4... Bc5 5. Nc3 d6 6. O-O Bg4)
Sometimes there may be other moves or ...
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Is the Ulvestad variation playable for black?
The Ulvestad variation starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 b5
Now white's best is 6.Bf1 Nd4 7.c3 leading to this position:
[FEN ""]
[StartPly "13"]
1.e4 e5 2....
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