Learn the Italian Game

C50-C54 · a repertoire for white · 7 chapters · 56 annotated lines

"The classical bishop, played with fire"

The complete Italian Game for White, played the classical way: the Giuoco Piano with 4.c3 and 5.d4, gambiting a pawn for a huge lead in development. Master the legendary Møller Attack (9.d5!), punish greedy pawn-grabbers with the Aitken variation's 10.Ba3!, meet the Two Knights with 4.Ng5 (the Fried Liver itself gets its own companion course), and refute every sideline from the Petrov to the Latvian Gambit.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Giuoco Piano Center
  Lines: The Main Tabiya — 4.c3 and 5.d4!, Passive Play: 4...d6 5.d4!, The Retreat 6...Bb6? — Crushed by 7.d5!, The Solid 4...Qe7 — Clamp and Squeeze, 5...Bb6? — 6.dxe5! Wins Material, Declining the Gambit: 7...d5, 4...d6: the Real Reply 6...Bb4+ — 9.Nd5!, 6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ — Bishops, b-file, and 11.e5!
• Chapter 2: The Møller Attack
  Lines: Møller Main Line — 10.Re1 and the e-file Assault, The Therkatz Sac — 13...O-O 14.Nxh7!, The Engine Defense: 9...Ne5, The Greedy 9...Bxb2? — Take and Dominate, The Modern 11...O-O — Trade and Torture
• Chapter 3: The Aitken Variation — Punish the Grab
  Lines: 10.Ba3! Freezes the King, The Defense 10...d5 — 11.Bb5! Wins the Queen, The Prudent 9...d5 — Keep the Initiative, The Bail-Out 10...Bb4 — Punished by 13.Qb3!
• Chapter 4: The Two Knights — 4.Ng5!
  Lines: Main Line: 5...Na5 6.Bb5+, The Traxler: 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+!, The Fritz: 5...Nd4 6.c3 b5 7.Bf1!, The Ulvestad: 5...b5 — Same Answer, 4...Nxe4?! — Bishop Takes First!, The Quiet 6...Bd7 — Keep the Pawn Anyway, The Fritz Retreat: 6...Nf5
• Chapter 5: Two Knights — Winning the Won Game
  Lines: 10...Bc5 — Castle, Blunt, Untangle, 10...Qc7 — Hold e5, Watch for ...Bxh2+!, 9...Bd6 Without ...e4 — Just Play d3
• Chapter 6: Third-Move Sidelines & Traps
  Lines: Blackburne-Shilling: 3...Nd4 — Never 4.Nxe5??, The Hungarian: 3...Be7, The Semi-Italian: 3...d6, The Rousseau Gambit: 3...f5?!, The Fianchetto 3...g6 — Take the Center, Trade the Dragon
• Chapter 7: The Petrov and Second-Move Sidelines
  Lines: The Petrov: 5.Qe2 Squeeze, The Philidor: 2...d6, The Latvian Gambit: 2...f5?!, The Elephant Gambit: 2...d5?!, The Damiano: 2...f6? — Punish It Classically, Petrov Greed: 3...Nxe4?!, Philidor Pin Trick: 3...Bg4?!, Philidor Pin Trick: the 6...Qf6 Defense, Petrov Greed: 6...dxe5, the Main Recapture

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — 1.e4
• 1... e5 — 1...e5
• 2. Nf3 — 2.Nf3
• 2... Nc6 — 2...Nc6
• 3. Bc4 — 3.Bc4 — the Italian bishop: it eyes f7, the weakest square on Black's board.
• 3... Bc5 — The classical reply — the Giuoco Piano.
• 4. c3 — 4.c3! Prepare d4: when Black captures there, the c-pawn recaptures and White owns the full center.
• 4... Nf6 — 4...Nf6 — Black's best: counterattack e4 before the center lands.
• 5. d4 — 5.d4! The Giuoco Piano proper — no quiet d3 here. The center strike comes with tempo on the c5-bishop.
• 5... exd4 — Practically forced (5...Bb6? 6.dxe5 costs material).
• 6. cxd4 — 6.cxd4 — the ideal e4+d4 duo. The threats of d5 and e5 hang over Black already.
• 6... Bb4+ — 6...Bb4+ — the critical check, buying time against the center (for the retreat 6...Bb6? see the next study).
• 7. Nc3 — 7.Nc3! The gambit move and the soul of this repertoire: block the check with development and simply offer e4. The tame 7.Bd2 trades pieces into equality.
• 7... Nxe4 — 7...Nxe4 — accepting; declining hands White the full center for nothing.
• 8. O-O — 8.O-O! Castle and let the rook eye e1. THE tabiya of the course: 8...Bxc3 enters the Møller Attack (Chapter 2); the greedy 8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bxc3? meets the Aitken 10.Ba3! (Chapter 3).

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