Giuoco Piano

The Giuoco Piano (Italian for 'Quiet Game'; pronounced [ˈdʒwɔːko ˈpjaːno])[1] is a chess opening
beginning with the moves:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5
"White aims to develop quickly – but so does Black. White can construct a pawn centre but in
unfavourable conditions a centre which cannot provide a basis for further active play."[3]

The name "Italian Game" is also commonly used;[4] however, that name is sometimes used instead
to describe all openings starting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, including 3...Nf6 (the Two Knights
Defence) and other less common replies.

The Giuoco Piano is assigned codes C50 to C54 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
 This article
Giuoco Piano
uses
algebraic
notation to
a b c d e f gh
describe
chess moves. 8 8
7 7

History 6 6
5 5
The Giuoco Piano is one of the oldest 4 4
recorded openings. The Portuguese writer
Pedro Damiano played it at the beginning of 3 3
the 16th century and the Italian Greco
played it at the beginning of the 17th
2 2
century. The Giuoco Piano was popular
1 1
through the 19th century, but modern
refinements in defensive play have led most a b c d e f gh
chess masters towards openings like the Ruy
Lopez that offer White greater chances for
long-term initiative.

In modern play, grandmasters have shown

distinct preference for the slower and more Moves 1.e4 e5
strategic Giuoco Pianissimo (4.d3, or 4.c3
Nf6 5.d3). Anatoly Karpov used the Giuoco
2.Nf3
Pianissimo against Viktor Korchnoi twice in
the 1981 World Championship match, with
[5][6]
Nc6
both games ending in a draw; Garry
Kasparov used it against Joël Lautier at
Linares 1994, resigning after 29 moves;[7]
Vladimir Kramnik chose it against Teimour
Radjabov at Linares (2004);[8] Viswanathan 3.Bc4
Anand used it to defeat Jon Hammer in
2010;[9] Magnus Carlsen used it against Bc5
Hikaru Nakamura at London 2011, winning in
41 moves[10] and Ian Nepomniachtchi used it
ECO C50–
against Magnus Carlsen in the 2021 World
Championship match, losing in 49 moves.[11]
C54

Variations Origin 16th

century
The main continuations on White's fourth
move are:
Named Italian:
4.c3, the Main after "Quiet
line. Game"[1]

4.b4, the Evans Parent Italian

Gambit, in which Game

White offers a Synonym(s) Italian

pawn in return Opening[2

for rapid
development.
 4.d3, the Giuoco Pianissimo.
4.0-0, often with the intention of
meeting 4...Nf6 with 5.d4, the Max Lange
Attack, in which White opens up the
centre, or 5.d3, the Giuoco Pianissimo.
Other continuations are:

4.Nc3 Nf6, the Four Knights Variation.

4.d4, the Italian Gambit, which is
considered an inaccurate move order
due to the reply 4...Bxd4
4.Bxf7+? Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5, the Jerome
Gambit, an unsound opening where
White sacrifices two pieces in the hope
of exposing Black's king and obtaining a
mating attack.
Main line: 4.c3
White plays 4.c3 in preparation for the central advance d2–d4. The main reply 4...Nf6 was
first analysed by Greco in the 17th century. Alternatives include 4...Qe7, with the intention of
holding on to the centre.

4...Nf6
5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4

White can also try 6.e5, a line favoured

by Evgeny Sveshnikov,[12] when play
usually continues 6...d5 7.Bb5 Ne4
8.cxd4 Bb6, with approximate equality.
Additionally, White has a gambit
alternative in 6.0-0, which Graham
Burgess revived in the book 101 Chess
Opening Surprises; the critical line
runs 6...Nxe4 7.cxd4 d5 8.dxc5 dxc4
9.Qe2 Qd3. The seldom seen pawn thrust
6.b4, was played in the off-balance
upset encounter between Fier–
Mamedyarov, Chessable Masters
2023.[13] After 6...Bb6 7.e5 d5 8.exf6
dxc4 9.Qe2+ Be6 10.b5, black offered
the sacrifice 10...Nb4. White choose to
accept the offer with 11.cxb4, allowing
black a pair of connected passed pawns
for the piece. Accurate play was
required to hold back the passers
advance. Play continues with 11...Qxf6
12.0-0 0-0 13 a4 a5 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.
Bg5 Qf5 16.Bd2 Raa8 17.Bb4 Rfe8
18.a5 Qxb5 19.Qd2 c5. White countered
with 20.Bc3, attempting to exchange
his extra bishop for the dangerous d-
 pawn, seeking to regain equality. Black
eventually converted his advantage,
with the simplifying and consolidating
exchanges 20...Bd8 21.Bxd4 cxd4
22.Nxd4 Qd7 23.Nxe6 Qxe6.[14]
6...Bb4+

White now has a choice between 7.Nc3

and 7.Bd2. 7.Nc3 usually leads to the
Møller Attack, an aggressive line
involving the sacrifice of a pawn, but it
has been largely abandoned in high-
level games, as Black gains the
advantage with accurate defence. 7.Bd2
offers about equal chances.
7.Nc3 (including Greco Variation and
Møller Attack)
7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 (diagram)

abcde fgh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
abcde fgh
Main line after 8.0-0
Greco encouraged an attack on White's
queen rook with 8.0-0, allowing
8...Nxc3?!, the Greco Variation. If 9.bxc3
Bxc3?! 10.Qb3 Bxa1?, White wins with
11.Bxf7+ Kf8 12.Bg5. Greco's game
(probably analysis) continues 12...Ne7
13.Ne5 (13.Re1 and 13.Rxa1 also win)
13...d5 14.Qf3 Bf5 15.Be6 g6 16.Bh6+
Ke8 17.Bf7#.[15][16] This trap is well-
known, and Black can avoid it by
playing 10...d5. For this reason, the
Scottish master James Aitken proposed
10.Ba3!, which gives White the
advantage. After 9.bxc3, best for Black
is 9...d5! 10.cxb4 dxc4 11.Re1+ Ne7
12.Qa4+! Bd7 13.b5 0-0 14.Qxc4 Ng6!
 In 1898 Danish player Jørgen Møller
published analysis of the line in
Tidsskrift for Skak. In what is now
known as the Møller Attack, White
sacrifices a pawn for development and
the initiative:
8...Bxc3! 9.d5

9.bxc3 is met with 9...d5!

9...Bf6

On 9...Ne5, a possible continuation is

10.bxc3 Nxc4 11.Qd4 f5 12.Qxc4 d6.
10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.Bg5 Bxg5 13.Nxg5 h6!

13...0-0 14.Nxh7! has been analysed to a

draw with best play, although Black has
many opportunities to go wrong.
14.Bb5+
 After 14.Qe2 hxg5 15.Re1 Be6! 16.dxe6
(White also can try 16.Qd2 c6! 17.dxe6
f6 18.Bd3 d5 19.Rg4 Qc7 20.h3 0-0-0
21.b4, attacking) 16...f6 17.Re3 c6
18.Rh3 Rxh3 19.gxh3 g6 it is doubtful
that White has compensation for the
sacrificed pawn, according to
Grandmaster Larry Kaufman; 14.Qh5 0-
0 15.Rae1 Ng6! (or 15...Nf5!) also
favours Black.
14...Bd7 15.Qe2 Bxb5 16.Qxb5+ Qd7 17.Qxb7

17.Qe2 Kf8! wins a second pawn, as in

Barczay–Portisch, Budapest 1969.[17]
17...0-0 18.Rae1 Rab8 19.Qxa7 Nxd5 20.Qd4 Qf5 21.Nf3 Rb4

and Black is clearly better.

7.Bd2
If White does not want to gambit material, 7.Bd2 is a good alternative. The game could
continue 7...Bxd2+ (Kaufman recommends 7...Nxe4!? 8.Bxb4 Nxb4 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qb3+ d5!?
[10...Kf8 11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 is safer, reaching an equal endgame] 11.Ne5+ Ke6! 12.Qxb4
c5!?) 8.Nbxd2 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Qb3 Nce7 (10...Na5 is an alternative, inviting a repetition of
moves after 11.Qa4+ Nc6 [threatening 12...Nb6] 12.Qb3 Na5) 11.0-0 0-0 12.Rfe1 c6. In this
position White has more freedom, but the isolated d-pawn can be a weakness. 7.Nbd2 is also a
viable move for White, although this still only offers approximate equality. It has not been a
popular choice among human players, but it seems to be recommended by computer engines.[18]
7.Kf1?! has been largely abandoned.[19]

4...Qe7 and alternatives

Black can try to hold a strongpoint in the centre at e5 with 4...Qe7, a move which first
appeared in the Göttingen manuscript around 1500.[20] After 5.d4 (5.0-0 usually transposes)
Bb6, White's options include 6.0-0, 6.d5, 6.a4 and 6.Bg5.[21] A typical continuation is 6.0-0
d6 7.a4 a6 8.h3 Nf6 9.Re1 0-0 (Leonhardt–Spielmann, Ostend 1907).[22]

4...Bb6 usually transposes after 5.d4 Qe7.

Other 4th moves for Black are considered inferior.

Giuoco Pianissimo: 4.d3

 ab c de f gh
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
ab c de f gh
Giuoco Pianissimo: 4.d3

With 4.d3, White plays the Giuoco Pianissimo (Italian: "Very Quiet Game", a name given by
Adolf Anderssen).[23] White aims for a slow buildup, deferring the push to d4 until it can be
prepared. By avoiding an immediate confrontation in the centre, White prevents the early
release of tension through exchanges and enters a positional maneuvering game. 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.d3
is the Giuoco Pianissimo Deferred.[24] 4.d3 f5 is the not-so-quiet Lucchini Gambit; there can
follow 5.Ng5 f4, the Dubois Variation.[25]

If White plays c2–c3, the position can take some characteristics of the Ruy Lopez if the bishop
retreats to c2 via b3. This idea has been taken up by some grandmasters, such as Anish Giri, to
avoid the drawish Berlin Defence in the Ruy Lopez. White can also play b4 and a4, chasing the
Black bishop and staking out space on the queenside. Despite its slow, drawish reputation, this
variation became more popular after being taken up by John Nunn in the 1980s. The common
move orders are 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 (ECO C54), and transposition from the Bishop's Opening: 2.Bc4
Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.c3 or 5.0-0 d6 6.c3.

ECO codes
Codes from the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings are:

C50 Italian Game, includes Giuoco

Piano lines other than 4.c3 and 4.b4
C51 Evans Gambit
C52 Evans Gambit, with 4...Bxb4 5.c3
Ba5
C53 Giuoco Piano, 4.c3, without 4...Nf6
C54 Giuoco Piano, 4.c3 Nf6
includes other than 5.d4 and 5.d3
5.d4 exd4, without 6.cxd4
5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4
 5.d3

References

1. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. Giuoco

Piano. "The name means 'quiet game' and
until the 19th century was often applied
to any opening that was not a gambit."
2. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 183. Italian
Opening. "Italian Opening, often called
the Giuoco Piano (Quiet Game)."
3. Marović & Sušić 1975, p. 53
4. Pinski 2005, p. 5
5. "Karpov vs. Korchnoi, World Ch. Rematch
(1981), rd. 8" (http://www.chessgames.co
m/perl/chessgame?gid=1068236) .
Chessgames.com.
 6. "Karpov vs. Korchnoi, World Ch. Rematch
(1981), rd. 10" (http://www.chessgames.co
m/perl/chessgame?gid=1068265) .
Chessgames.com.
7. "Kasparov vs. Lautier, Linares (1994)" (ht
tp://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?
gid=1070708) . Chessgames.com.
8. "Kramnik vs. Radjabov, Linares (2004)" (h
ttp://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgam
e?gid=1277599) . Chessgames.com.
9. "Anand vs. Hammer, Arctic Securities
Chess Stars (2010)" (http://www.chessgam
es.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1589889) .
Chessgames.com.
10. "Carlsen vs. Nakamura, London (2011)" (ht
tp://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?
gid=1649097) . Chessgames.com.
11. "Nepomniachtchi vs. Carlsen, Carlsen–
Nepomniachtchi World Championship
Match (2021)" (https://www.chessgames.co
m/perl/chessgame?gid=2136417) .
Chessgames.com.
12. "Steinitz - Sveshnikov Attack in the
Italian / Giuoco Piano" (http://www.kenil
worthchessclub.org/games/java/2011/st
einitz-sveshnikov-2.htm) .
www.kenilworthchessclub.org. Retrieved
2022-12-31.
13. "Alexandr Fier vs. Shakhriyar
Mamedyarov (2023)" (https://www.chessga
mes.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2470174) .
Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
14. "Chessable Masters: Caruana and Nakamura
reach winners' bracket final" (https://en.c
hessbase.com/post/chessable-masters-202
3-d2) . Chessbase.com. Retrieved
26 November 2023.
15. "Greco vs. NN, 1620" (https://www.chessga
mes.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1710371) .
Chessgames.com.
16. Harding, p. 4
17. "Laszlo Barczay vs. Lajos Portisch (1969)"
(http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessga
me?gid=1113444) . Chessgames.com.
Retrieved 23 January 2019.
18. "The Baron vs. Pandix, World Computer
Chess Championship (2011)" (http://www.
chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1649
076) . Chessgames.com.
 19. Chessgames.com position search after
7.Kf1 (http://www.chessgames.com/perl/c
hess.pl?node=62557)
20. Harding, p. 24
21. Harding, p. 25
22. "Leonhardt vs. Spielmann, Ostend-B 1907"
(https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessg
ame?gid=1130660) . Chessgames.com.
23. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. Giuoco
Pianissimo.
24. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. Giuoco
Pianissimo Deferred.
25. Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 116.
Bibliography

Gufeld, Eduard; Stetsko, Oleg (1996),

The Giuoco Piano, Batsford, ISBN 978-
0-7134-7802-0
Harding, Tim; Botterill, G. S. (1977).
The Italian Game. B. T. Batsford Ltd.
ISBN 0-7134-3261-6.
Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996)
[1992]. The Oxford Companion to Chess
(2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0-19-280049-3.
Kaufman, Larry (2004). The Chess
Advantage in Black and White. McKay
Chess Library. ISBN 0-8129-3571-3.
Marović, D.; Sušić, I. (1975). King Pawn
Openings. Chess Digest.
Pinski, Jan (2005), Italian Game and
Evans Gambit, Everyman Chess,
 ISBN 978-1-85744-373-8

External links

"The Italian Game for The

Wikibook
beginners" (http://exet
Chess
erchessclub.org.uk/cont Opening
Theory
ent/italian-game-begi
has a
nners) Exeter Chess page on
the
Club (UK)
topic of:
Giuoco
Piano
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Giuoco_Piano&oldid=1198032044"
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