The Italian Game Main Line

jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var selector = '#' + "rpbchessboard-64760db563dcd-1" + ' .rpbchessboard-chessgameAnchor'; RPBChessboard.renderPGN($(selector), {"pgn":"[PlyCount \"20\"] [EventDate \"2020.??.??\"] [SourceDate \"2020.11.08\"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {[#][%cal Yc4f7] The Italian Game! One of the oldest openings in chess. This openings is characterized by this bishop move which immediately pressures Black’s weakest square on f7. White should keep in mind that this is their own most valuable minor piece and it is often involved in tactics on the f7 square.} Bc5 (3... Nf6 {For more on this move see the counterpart to this article on the Two Knights.} 4. Ng5 d5) (3... h6 {Not good because it wastes time dealing with a threat that black has covered.}) (3... d6 4. d4 Be7 5. dxe5 (5. d5 {White is usually not interested in blocking their c4 bishop.}) 5... dxe5 (5... Nxe5 $4 {Natural but very bad.} 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qxe5) 6. Qxd8+ Bxd8 7. Nc3 $14) 4. c3 (4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. h3 h6 { A common opening at scholastic and club level. The position is very balanced.}) (4. O-O {Another fine way of playing the “slow Italian.”}) 4... Nf6 $1 { [#][%csl Yc3,Re4][%cal Rf6e4,Yb1c3] Black should immediately contest the center. White’s last move prevents the most natural way of protecting the e4-pawn. Black must attack it right away before White builds their dream center.} (4... d6 $6 5. d4 exd4 (5... Bb6 $2 6. dxe5 $1 {Black is losing a pawn here after either recapture} dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Nxd8 (7... Kxd8 8. Bxf7 {White is nearly winning}) 8. Nxe5) 6. cxd4 Bb6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8. O-O Nge7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. h3 { [%csl Yc5,Yd5,Ye5,Yf5][%cal Ye4f5,Yd4e5,Ye4d5,Yd4c5] White is slightly better.} ) 5. d4 (5. d3 {This move has grown in popularity over the last few years. This is known as the slow Italian. The play is not very forced, so I will give a sample set up of how White and Black may continue.} d6 6. O-O a6 (6... O-O 7. a4 (7. Re1) 7... a5 (7... Re8 8. b4 Bb6 9. a5) (7... a6)) 7. Bb3 O-O 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Re1 {[%cal Yd2f1,Yf1g3,Yh2h3,Yd3d4] White’s typical plan will be to bring their d2-knight over to g3 by going through f1. White wants to slowly expand in the center once they have set up their pieces to support it.}) 5... exd4 6. cxd4 {[#][%csl Re1,Re4]} (6. e5 {This is an underrated and interesting move from White. Black needs to respond with the very calm and coldhearted} d5 $1 (6... Ne4 $6 {[%csl Re4]} 7. Bd5 $1 {[%csl Re4][%cal Rd5e4,Yf3g5,Yc1g5, Ge4g5] The knight is basically trapped in the middle of the board! Black must choose to sacrifice it or weaken their king significantly by playing f5. Not a pleasant choice.} f5 8. cxd4) (6... Ng4 $2 7. cxd4 $1 {[%csl Rg4] White’s center is overwhelming and Black’s knight on g4 is cut off from the rest of it’s team.}) (6... Nh5) 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 Bg4 {The game is once again fairly balanced.}) 6... Bb4+ (6... Bb6 7. d5) 7. Bd2 (7. Nc3 {[%cal Yf6e4] This is a dubious gambit but black must play precisely not to get run over!} Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 (8... Nxc3 $2 9. bxc3 {[%cal Re1e8]} Bxc3 { [%csl Rc3,Rf7]} 10. Qb3 Bxa1 11. Bxf7+ Kf8 12. Bg5 {[%cal Yf1a1,Yf1e1]} Ne7 { White has many ways of winning here.}) 9. d5 $1 {[%csl Rc3,Rc6]} (9. bxc3 $2 { [%csl Rc4,Ge4]} d5 $15 {[%cal Yd5e4,Yd5c4,Ye8g8]}) 9... Ne5 10. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 {[%csl Rc4,Re4,Rg7][%cal Yd4e4,Yd4g7,Yd4c4]} Ncd6 $2 (11... O-O $1 12. Qxe4 Nd6 13. Qf5 (13. Qf4)) 12. Qxg7 $1 {A sample of the danger that black faces would go like this…} Qf6 13. Qxf6 Nxf6 14. Re1+ Kf8 15. Bh6+ Kg8 {[%csl Rf8, Rg7][%cal Rh6f8]} 16. Re5 {[%cal Ye5g5]} Nde4 {[%cal Ye4g5]} 17. Nd2 {[%cal Ge5g5,Re4d2]} d6 18. Nxe4 $1 dxe5 19. Nxf6#) 7... Bxd2+ (7... Nxe4 $5 {This is another good challenge against White’s center. Remember those tactics on f7 I mentioned earlier? Here is a good sample of how they can pop up.} 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 {[%csl Rb4,Rf7]} 9. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 {[%csl Rb4,Rf7]} 10. Qb3+ {The queen picks up the loose knight on b4 next turn with an approximately even position.} d5 ( 10... Ke8 11. Qxb4 Qe7) 11. Ne5+ Ke6 12. Qxb4) 8. Nbxd2 {[#][%csl Yc4,Ye4]} d5 $1 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Qb3 $5 {[%cal Yb3f7] White has a slightly more pleasant position but the game is about even. Now both Na5 and Nce7 are good moves for Black.} Nce7 *","nboSquareSize":50,"idoSquareSize":50,"nboCoordinateVisible":true,"idoCoordinateVisible":true,"nboColorset":"greenvintage","idoColorset":"greenvintage","nboPieceset":"new-set-mac","idoPieceset":"new-set-mac","nboAnimated":true,"nboMoveArrowVisible":false,"nboMoveArrowColor":"b","pieceSymbols":"native","navigationBoard":"frame","withFlipButton":true,"withDownloadButton":true}); });