Chess Openings → Italian Game

Italian Game: a first plan on 1.e4 e5

The Italian Game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 — the bishop immediately aims at f7, Black's weakest point, defended only by the king. It's one of the oldest known openings and still a great first choice for White: the plans are simple and the goal is clear from the very first move.

In short: after 3.Bc4 you're playing for fast development and pressure on f7. If Black answers 3...Bc5 (Giuoco Piano), you play 4.c3 and 5.d4, building a center advantage. The other common replies each have their own plan below. You can practice the full repertoire — with branches for every reasonable reply — in the opening trainer, free and without an account.

Starting position and the idea

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, defending the pawn, 3.Bc4 places the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal, aimed straight at Black's king. The knight on f3 already attacks the e5 pawn and prepares castling. White's follow-up plan — usually c3 and d4 — builds a central advantage before Black finishes developing. It's an opening with a clear goal: no need to memorize dozens of lines, just understand why each move is played.

Black's three most common replies

• 3...Bc5 (Giuoco Piano) — Black replies symmetrically, also eyeing f2. After 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 White trades in the center and comes out with a wider center and faster development; next: short castling and play on the space advantage.
• 3...Nf6 (Two Knights Defense) — Black immediately attacks the e4 pawn instead of developing the bishop. A calm reply is 4.d3: White defends e4 with a modest pawn move, avoids sharp complications after Ng5, and finishes development (Nc3, castling) without risk.
• 3...Be7 (Hungarian Defense) — Black plays the most modest reply, without fighting for f2. White immediately widens the center with 4.d4, gaining a clear development advantage if Black captures exd4.

Honestly, about this page's scope

The above is a sketch of the plan, not a full trainer with every branch and typical opponent mistakes. The full Italian Game repertoire — including the 3...d6 line and an exact evaluation of every line verified by the Stockfish engine — is waiting in the opening trainer inside the app. Before playing your first opening, it's also worth knowing the 5 rules that win most games — the Italian Game is just one way of putting those rules into practice.

More openings (including the Sicilian, French, and Queen's Gambit) are covered on the Chess Openings page. Want to practice these same principles right away against an opponent? Play a game against the computer at any difficulty level.

The trainer works offline after your first online visit on this device. No app installation required.