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Giuoco Piano (C50)
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5

Number of games in database: 11216
Years covered: 1620 to 2025
Overall record:
   White wins 37.3%
   Black wins 31.9%
   Draws 30.8%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Levon Aronian  69 games
Wesley So  63 games
Zaven Andriasian  63 games
Hikaru Nakamura  72 games
John Cochrane  62 games
Wesley So  51 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Capablanca vs NN, 1918
Capablanca vs Eliskases, 1936
Mason vs Winawer, 1882
S Dubois vs Steinitz, 1862
NN vs Blackburne, 1884
A Nimzowitsch vs Capablanca, 1913
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 page 1 of 449; games 1-25 of 11,216 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. NN vs Greco 0-1131620Miscellaneous gameC50 Giuoco Piano
2. NN vs Greco 0-1141620Miscellaneous gameC50 Giuoco Piano
3. NN vs Greco 0-1151620Miscellaneous gameC50 Giuoco Piano
4. A Salvio vs NN 1-0121634StudyC50 Giuoco Piano
5. NN vs P Stamma 0-1131737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
6. NN vs P Stamma 0-1171737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
7. NN vs P Stamma 0-1171737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
8. NN vs P Stamma 0-1141737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
9. NN vs P Stamma 0-1171737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
10. NN vs P Stamma 0-1171737CompositionC50 Giuoco Piano
11. C Lolli vs D Ercole Del Rio 0-1191755ModenaC50 Giuoco Piano
12. W D Evans vs Brandreth  1-0261827Casual gameC50 Giuoco Piano
13. Leeds CC vs Doncaster Chess Club 0-1181834Correspondence mC50 Giuoco Piano
14. A F von der Goltz / T von der Lasa vs H Seligo  1-0531836Consultation gameC50 Giuoco Piano
15. von der Lasa vs A von der Goltz  1-0211837Berlin Casual GamesC50 Giuoco Piano
16. Gerber vs von der Lasa  0-1221837von der Lasa - Gerber Casual SeriesC50 Giuoco Piano
17. Eck vs von der Lasa  0-1341837von der Lasa - Eck Casual SeriesC50 Giuoco Piano
18. Gerber vs von der Lasa  0-1601837von der Lasa - Gerber Casual SeriesC50 Giuoco Piano
19. A von der Goltz vs von der Lasa  0-1131837Berlin Casual GamesC50 Giuoco Piano
20. Bledow vs Horwitz  0-1191838Casual gameC50 Giuoco Piano
21. von der Lasa vs C Mayet  1-0241839von der Lasa - Mayet Casual SeriesC50 Giuoco Piano
22. W Lewis vs NN 1-0191840Casual gameC50 Giuoco Piano
23. Bledow vs C Mayet  1-0291840Bledow-MayetC50 Giuoco Piano
24. E Daniels vs G Walker 1-0121841LondonC50 Giuoco Piano
25. W Hanstein vs von der Lasa 0-1261841von der Lasa - Hanstein Casual SeriesC50 Giuoco Piano
 page 1 of 449; games 1-25 of 11,216 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 5 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-05-03  TevyeGF: I need info on the Giuco Piano. Does anybody have a good refrence?
May-05-03  Shadout Mapes: http://www.eudesign.com/chessops/ch... I like this site for openings.
May-28-03  drukenknight: Opening Blunders by DK. Master these mistakes and your games will end sooner rather than later. This one starts out like it's Italian then black plays 3...h6 in order to keep the N off of g5. Anyone else see an early ...h6 in this, either on the 3rd move or maybe later.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 h6 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd Bc5? 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 (maybe something else?) 7 Qh5+ g6 8 Qxc5

May-28-03  actual: <TevyeGF> http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dregis/DR/Open...
May-28-03  drukenknight: nice site, is this blunder shown there?
Dec-17-03  MoonlitKnight: I've played 3...Bc5 4.d4 with success as white lately. Does anyone know anything about this line? Is it sound?
Dec-17-03  BiLL RobeRTiE: after 4...exd4 5. O-O Nf6 6. e5 it is called the Max Lange Attack. I'm not sure how sound it is myself but it sure scores well - Opening Explorer
Dec-17-03  MoonlitKnight: After 4...exd4 I play 5.c3. Now if black captures with 5...dxc3 white gets a good attack with 6.Bxf7! On the other hand, if black refuses the offer, with for instance 5...Nf6 6.e5, white establishes a strong center. Works on the level I play, at least.
Feb-01-04  sac 4 mate: The "Quiet Game." I used it to win my first county junior championship against a guy who hadn't even bothered to study it, it was so "quiet"!
Feb-23-04  PaulKeres: Can I hear from any out there who regularly try to play the Italian, 3. Bc4, I've Kibitzed on C44, and it gets a lot of critism (good for 'beginners'). If there are any of u out there, why do u like it? <sac 4 mate>, do you still play it, or have you moved on, finding it too straight forward for black?
Feb-23-04  InspiredByMorphy: <PaulKeres> Play it. If black plays the classical response 3.bc5 play b4 ... the evans gambit. It is very strong, and in my opinion the strongest gambit next to the Kings gambit. If they havent studied the Guocco Piano than chances are good they wont know much about the evans gambit. The offered pawn sacrifice (if accepted) often forces black to play a very defensive game, and generally opens up the position with a space advantage (and usually development) for white. In my opinion black should play 3.Nf6 if he/she hasen't studied a proper defense to the evans gambit. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Na5 5.Bb3 Nxb3 6.axb d6
Feb-23-04  ruylopez900: The Giuoco Piano is all good and well, but if you ever get the chance to play it, the Ruy Lopez can offer better attacking chances for White.
Feb-23-04  BiLL RobeRTiE: 3...Nf6 is indeed superior to 3...Bc5. White's KO attempt, 4. Ng5, is not as strong as the Evans. Also 4. d3 can be met with 4...d5 (although it usually isn't, wonder why that is). That being said the 4. Ng5 lines are tricky and although Black should be slightly better, I have found it hard to sustain the attack on the White monarch, especially when I play 5...Na5.
Feb-23-04  refutor: 4.d3 d5 eh? i like that idea...it's superior to the 4. ...h6 that i usually play...thanks for the idea bill :)
Feb-23-04  WhoKeres: 4.d3 d5 eh? i like that idea...it's superior to the 4. ...h6 that i usually play...thanks for the idea bill :)

refutor: 4...d5 is weak. Take a look at the win % for white in this opening in Opening Explorer. A sample line is 5. ed Nxd5 6. o-o Bc5 7. Re1 followed by d4 shortly; whit gets a solid initiative in this line. I think there is an old Larsen game from Amsterdam 1964 where Larsen plays white in this line; I can't recall his opponent, but Larsen crushed him. The best answer to 4 d3 is 4...Bc5 or the underrated 4...Be7.

Feb-23-04  BiLL RobeRTiE: 4...d5 probably is weak =]. 4...Be7 is the most popular move in the Explorer; why would Black play this instead of the more active 4...Bc5?
Feb-25-04  InspiredByMorphy: <BiLL RobeRTiE> <4...d5 probably is weak> Its an opening that involves study, and is by no means void of winning possibilities. Here are some examples …

R Blanco Estera vs Capablanca, 1902
G Beihoff vs Capablanca, 1913
Belhoff vs Capablanca, 1913
E Robson vs Marshall, 1944
C Leite vs D Flores, 1994
M Segura vs D Flores, 1994

Mar-29-04  ruylopez900: <chessgames.com> Your diagram is missing the last move 3...Bc5. Just thought I';d let you know.
Apr-20-04  waddayaplay: Just tell them, maybe they will do something if enough people complain :)

However it seems the moves might be wrong and not the diagram because moves other than Bc5 also make it a "Guico Piano."

Aug-12-04  cuendillar: <Max Lange attack> This opening isn't analysed enough to conclude whether it's sound or not. However, it is very sharp and in my opinion stronger than the Evans Gambit. I'm planning to take it up since it can be played against both Giouco piano and 2 ♘s Defense. If black don't know the exact moves he's totally lost. Otherwise you'll at least get a terrific king-side attack and very strong initiative.
Aug-29-04  yoozum: oh man, this is one of my favorite openings ever. it's too bad barely anyone uses it anymore in top level chess.
Sep-01-04  Leviathan: I have compiled a game collection of some of my favourite Giuoco Piano games:

Game Collection: "Don't Shoot the Piano Player!"

If you think I am missing an important Giuoco Piano game, please tell me!

Sep-01-04  clocked: <Leviathan> I don't know about "important", as it was rapid, but you might find Gelfand vs Azmaiparashvili, 2003 entertaining. White refutes 11...d5, finds the great 14.Bg5! and in fact plays very accurately throughout.
Sep-01-04  Dudley: If any of you want to study the Max Lange attack I suggest you look at the games of George Koltanowski, the blinfold and simul specialist. This was his main weopon in double king pawn and he could turn on some king side mating attacks you won't believe with this opening. True, most of the games were against inferior players, but they show the tactical possibilities inherent in the positions. A good reference is "A Startling Opening Repertoire for White" by John Baker, also "Winning with the Giuoco Piano and the Max Lange Attack" by Andrew Soltis. Check Chess Digest or Amazon.com. These openings are some of the most tactical in chess and if you have a good memory can be extremely dangerous to Black. The Ruy Lopez of course is objectively stronger but not nearly as much fun.
Sep-01-04  Leviathan: <clocked> that game is very nice, exactly what I need to prove that the Giuoco Piano can generate interesting positions. Just added it to my collection, thx a lot :)

Thank you also <Dudley> for the useful information. That Soltis' book is the next one I'm going to buy!

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