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The Italian Game: A Complete Guide for Beginners
Learn the Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) - the Giuoco Piano, the quiet d3 lines, the Two Knights, the Fried Liver and the Evans Gambit - with boards.
The Italian Game is the most recommended first opening for White, and one of the oldest: Italian players analysed it in the 16th century, and it is still played in world championship matches today. It follows every opening principle, creates early threats, and leads to open positions where you learn tactics fast.
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
Why 3. Bc4? The bishop points at f7, the weakest square in Black's position - only the king defends it. It also controls the centre square d5 and gets White one step closer to castling.
Black's two main replies are 3...Bc5 and 3...Nf6.
3...Bc5: the Giuoco Piano
Black mirrors White: the bishop goes to c5 and aims at f2. "Giuoco Piano" means "quiet game" in Italian - though it is not always quiet.
The classical centre: 4. c3 and 5. d4
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2
White plays c3 to support d4, aiming to build a pawn centre on d4 and e4. Black must react at once - usually with ...exd4 and ...Nf6, attacking e4. These lines are sharp and full of tactics; both sides must know some moves.
The modern way: c3 and d3 (Giuoco Pianissimo)
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O O-O
With d3, White keeps the centre safe and plays a slower game: castle, Re1, the knight from b1 to d2, f1 and g3, and then a well-timed d4. It is less theory to learn and more about plans. It is the version most grandmasters play today.
3...Nf6: the Two Knights Defence
Black ignores the "rule" of protecting f7 and develops a knight with an attack on e4. Now White can attack f7 at once with 4. Ng5.
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5
The knight and bishop both attack f7. Black blocks with 4...d5 and, after 5. exd5, the right move is 5...Na5! - giving a pawn to chase the bishop and win time.
The Fried Liver Attack
If Black takes back with 5...Nxd5?!, White can play the famous Fried Liver Attack, sacrificing a knight on f7 to drag the king into the open:
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3
The attack is very dangerous in practice, though with exact defence Black can survive. The simple lesson for Black: after 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5, play 5...Na5. The lesson for White: if your opponent takes on d5, it is time to fry the liver.
The Evans Gambit: 4. b4
For players who like to attack, the Evans Gambit offers a pawn on move 4 to gain time and build the centre:
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4
The Evergreen Game began with this gambit.
Traps to know
- The Blackburne Shilling Gambit (3...Nd4): if White grabs the e5 pawn with 4. Nxe5?, Black wins with ...Qg5. See it in Scholar's Mate and other traps.
- Legal's Mate: a "pinned" knight that moves anyway, with a mate in seven. See checkmate patterns.
- The f7 square: in every line, count the attackers and defenders of f7 (or f2) before you move.
Plans after the opening
- White usually castles kingside, puts a rook on e1, and either pushes d4 to open the centre or attacks on the kingside with the knight coming to g3 and f5.
- Black aims to keep the centre, castle quickly, and strike with ...d5 when it is safe.
The Italian leads to tactics - forks on f7, pins against the king, sacrifices. Train them with fork puzzles and sacrifice puzzles, and compare it with the other best openings for beginners.
Practise it: Fork puzzles, Chess sacrifice puzzles