All Chess Positions Open the map

C50Opening

Italian Game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4

a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

Black to move

Legal moves
31
Games in the next 4 moves
1,008,043
Different positions among them
334,964
Named lines from here
193

See it on the mapOn the opening map

One of the oldest openings in chess, analysed by Italian masters such as Gioachino Greco in the 17th century. White’s bishop on c4 aims at f7, the weakest point in Black’s camp.

It is reached after 5 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4.

Black is to move and has 31 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,008,043 different games. Those games reach 334,964 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 193 further lines after this position, such as Giuoco Piano (3... Bc5) and Two Knights Defense (3... Nf6).

The same moves can be played in 6 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 e5 2. e4 Nc6 3. Bc4, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Italian Game
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 1,008,043 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... e5King's Pawn Game
  3. 2. Nf3King's Knight Opening
  4. 2... Nc6King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation
  5. 3. Bc4Italian Game

Named lines from here

Famous games through this position

The Evergreen GameAnderssen, Berlin 1852, move 3Anderssen sacrifices his queen and mates with a bishop; more than 170 years on, the game is still fresh. Steinitz's CombinationSteinitz – von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895, move 3White's rook keeps offering itself on the seventh rank; von Bardeleben walks out rather than wait for the mate.

Related openings

FEN

r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/4p3/2B1P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 3 3