- ECO code
- C50
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5
- Family
- Italian Game
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 2,675
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1849–2026
Italian Game: Giuoco Piano is the opening filed under ECO code C50, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5. It belongs to the Italian Game family and is known as the Giuoco Piano; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 2,675 games on this line — the 47th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1849 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 1,255 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 36% of those games, 35% end in a draw, and Black wins 29%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 4.c3, played in 1,161 games, followed by 4.O-O (601) and 4.d3 (447). 4.c3 leads into Italian Game: Classical Variation. After 4.c3 White scores 33% and Black 27%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is So,W (145 games); on the Black side, Nakamura,Hi (189).
7 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Italian Game: Classical Variation; Italian Game: Classical Variation; Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo.
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Results in master games
- White 36% (973)
- Draws 35% (938)
- Black 29% (764)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.c3 | 1,161 | 33/40/27 | Italian Game: Classical Variation |
| 4.O-O | 601 | 35/39/26 | — |
| 4.d3 | 447 | 34/35/31 | Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo |
| 4.b4 | 390 | 50/15/35 | Italian Game: Evans Gambit |
| 4.Nc3 | 64 | 34/36/30 | — |
| 4.d4 | 7 | 29/14/57 | — |
| 4.a4 | 3 | 67/33/0 | — |
| 4.h3 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Italian Game: Classical Variation · 4.c3 · 1,161 games
- Italian Game: Classical Variation · 4.c3 Nf6 · 1,111 games
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo · 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 · 837 games
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo · 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 · 466 games
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo · 4.d3 · 447 games
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit · 4.b4 · 390 games
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted · 4.b4 Bxb4 · 318 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 · 19,295 games
- Italian Game · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 · 4,424 games
Played most often by
As White
- So,W 145
- Aronian,L 124
- Vachier Lagrave,M 121
As Black
- Nakamura,Hi 189
- Grischuk,A 145
- Aronian,L 115
Games per decade
- 1840s 4
- 1850s 99
- 1860s 125
- 1870s 40
- 1880s 30
- 1890s 82
- 1900s 58
- 1910s 29
- 1920s 21
- 1930s 10
- 1940s 10
- 1950s 6
- 1960s 8
- 1970s 10
- 1980s 26
- 1990s 36
- 2000s 87
- 2010s 739
- 2020s 1,255
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caruana,F | Bartel,Mat | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Bundesliga 2025-26 |
| Drygalov,Andrey | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 3rd Feb 2026 |
| Caruana,F | Kevlishvili,Robby | 1-0 | 2026 | Naroditsky Mem Blitz 2026 |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Gukesh,D | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | GCT Super Rapid Croatia |
| Erigaisi,Arjun | Vidit,S | 0-1 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Rapid |
| Wei Yi | Lazavik,Denis | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool B |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano?
It is the opening with ECO code C50, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5. It belongs to the Italian Game family.
Is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano good for White or for Black?
In 2,675 master games on this line White wins 36%, 35% are drawn and Black wins 29%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano?
4.c3 — played in 1,161 of the master games on this line, which leads into Italian Game: Classical Variation.
Which grandmasters play the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano?
On the White side So,W (145), Aronian,L (124), Vachier Lagrave,M (121); on the Black side Nakamura,Hi (189), Grischuk,A (145), Aronian,L (115).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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