Giuoco Piano
Encyclopedia
The Giuoco Piano is a chess opening
beginning with the moves:
White's "Italian bishop" at c4 prevents Black from advancing in the center with ...d5 and attacks the vulnerable f7-square. White plans to dominate the center with d2–d4 and to attack the Black king. Black aims to free his game by exchanging
pieces and playing the pawn break ...d5, or to hold his center pawn at e5.
Common alternatives to 3...Bc5 include 3...Nf6 (the Two Knights Defence), 3...Be7 (the Hungarian Defence
), or 3...d6 (the Paris Defence).
: "Quiet Game") is the oldest recorded opening. The Portuguese
Damiano
played it at the beginning of the 16th century and the Italian
Greco played it at the beginning of the 17th century. The opening is also known as the Italian Game
, although that name is also used to describe all games starting with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, regardless of Black's third move . The Giuoco Piano was popular through the 19th century, but modern refinements in defensive play have led most chess masters towards openings like the Ruy Lopez
that offer White greater chances for long term initiative. Anatoli Karpov used it against Viktor Korchnoi
twice in the 1981 World Championship tournament, with both games ending in a draw
. Gary Kasparov used it against Joël Lautier
at Linares 1994, resigning after 26 moves.
The more aggressive 4...Nf6 was first analyzed by Greco in the 17th century. In the Greco Attack White uses a major piece sacrifice to create a trap. Play continues:
4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4
6... Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 (see diagram)
8. 0-0 Bxc3! 9. d5 Bf6
10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. Bg5 Bxg5 13. Nxg5 h6!?
14. Bb5+
14... Bd7 15. Qe2 Bxb5 16. Qxb5+ Qd7 17. Qxb7
17... 0-0
If White does not want to gambit
material, instead of 7.Nc3 he can play 7. Bd2, which can 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 his isolated d-pawn can be a weakness.
: "Quietest Game"). White aims for a slow buildup deferring d2–d4 until it can be prepared. By avoiding an immediate confrontation in the center White prevents the early release of tension through exchanges and enters a positional maneuvering game. If White plays c2–c3, the position can take some characteristics of the Ruy Lopez
if his bishop retreats to c2 via Bc4–b3–c2. 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, and the transposition via the Bishop's Opening
: 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.c3.
are:
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
beginning with the moves:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. Nf3 Nc6
- 3. Bc4 Bc5
White's "Italian bishop" at c4 prevents Black from advancing in the center with ...d5 and attacks the vulnerable f7-square. White plans to dominate the center with d2–d4 and to attack the Black king. Black aims to free his game by exchanging
Exchange (chess)
In the tactics and strategy in the board game of chess, an exchange or trade of chess pieces is series of closely related moves, typically sequential, in which the two players capture each others pieces. Any types of pieces except the kings may possibly be exchanged, i. e. captured in an...
pieces and playing the pawn break ...d5, or to hold his center pawn at e5.
Common alternatives to 3...Bc5 include 3...Nf6 (the Two Knights Defence), 3...Be7 (the Hungarian Defence
Hungarian Defence
The Hungarian Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The variation takes its name from a correspondence game between Paris and Pest, Hungary played from 1843–45, but was first analyzed by Cozio in the 18th century...
), or 3...d6 (the Paris Defence).
History
The Giuoco Piano (ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: "Quiet Game") is the oldest recorded opening. The Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
Damiano
Pedro Damiano
Pedro Damiano was a Portuguese chess player who lived from 1480 to 1544. A native of Odemira, he was a pharmacist by profession...
played it at the beginning of the 16th century and the Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
Greco played it at the beginning of the 17th century. The opening is also known as the Italian Game
Italian Game
The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves:The game's defining move is the White king's bishop's move to c4 in preparation for an early attack on Black's vulnerable f7-square. As such the game is typified by aggressive play, where Black's best chances are often...
, although that name is also used to describe all games starting with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, regardless of Black's third move . The Giuoco Piano was popular through the 19th century, but modern refinements in defensive play have led most chess masters towards openings like the Ruy Lopez
Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
that offer White greater chances for long term initiative. Anatoli Karpov used it against Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
twice in the 1981 World Championship tournament, with both games ending in a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
. Gary Kasparov used it against Joël Lautier
Joel Lautier
Joël Lautier is a French chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .Born in Canada, of French father and Japanese mother, Lautier is one of the strongest grandmasters from France. He won the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship on tiebreak at Adelaide, and the French Chess Championships in 2004...
at Linares 1994, resigning after 26 moves.
Variations
The main continuations on White's fourth move are:- 4.c3 (the Greco Variation), see below.
- 4.d3 (the Giuoco Pianissimo, ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: "Quietest Game"), see below. - 4.b4 (the Evans GambitEvans GambitThe Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The gambit is named after the Welsh sea Captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have employed it. The first game with the opening is considered to be Evans - McDonnell, London 1827, although in that game a slightly...
), in which White offers a pawn to speed his development. This opening was popular in the 19th century, more than the standard Giuoco Piano. - 4.d4 (the Italian GambitItalian GambitThe Italian Gambit is a chess opening characterized by the movesAfter 4...Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4, George Koltanowski favoured 6.0-0, which transposes to the related gambit line 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4 following 6...Nf6, when 7.f4 and 7.Bg5 are the main possibilities for White. However, 6...d6!? is an independent...
), in which White opens up the center avoiding the quiet lines of the Giuoco Piano and Giuoco Pianissimo. - 4.0-0, often with the intention of meeting 4...Nf6 with 5.d4, the Max Lange Gambit, with similar ideas to the Italian Gambit but with some transpositional differences.
- 4.Bxf7+? Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 (the Jerome GambitJerome GambitThe Jerome Gambit is a weak chess opening that is an offshoot of the Giuoco Piano. It is characterized by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+? Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5. White sacrifices two pieces in hopes of exposing Black's king and obtaining a mating attack...
), an extremely dubious opening where White sacrificesSacrifice (chess)In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
two pieces in the hope of exposing Black's king and obtaining a mating attack. - 4.Nc3 (the Four Knights Variation).
Main line
In the main line (Greco Variation) White plays 4.c3 in preparation for the central advance d2–d4. Black can try to hold a strong point in the center at e5 with 4...Qe7 or he can counterattack with 4...Nf6. The center-holding line can continue 4...Qe7 5.d4 Bb6 6.0-0 d6 7.a4 a6 8.h3 Nf6 9.Re1 0-0.The more aggressive 4...Nf6 was first analyzed by Greco in the 17th century. In the Greco Attack White uses a major piece sacrifice to create a trap. Play continues:
4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4
- White can also try 6.e5, a line favoured by Evgeny SveshnikovEvgeny SveshnikovEvgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov is a Latvian, former Soviet International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-The player:...
, when play usually continues 6...d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6, with approximate equality. Instead, White has a gambit alternative in 6.0-0, which Graham BurgessGraham BurgessGraham K. Burgess is an English FIDE Master of chess and a noted writer and trainer. He became a FIDE Master at the age of twenty. He attended Birkdale High School in Southport, Merseyside. In 1989 he graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in mathematics...
revived in the book 101 Chess Opening Surprises; the critical line runs 6...Nxe4 7.cxd4 d5 8.dxc5 dxc4 9.Qe2. The other alternative 6.b4 is refuted by the strong piece sacrifice 6...Bb6 7.e5 d5 8.exf6 dxc4 9.b5 0-0! according to Jeremy SilmanJeremy SilmanJeremy Silman is an American International Master of chess. He has won the US Open, the American Open, and the National Open, and was the coach of the US junior national chess team...
.
6... Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 (see diagram)
- Greco encouraged an attack on White's a1-rook with 8.0-0, allowing 8...Nxc3!? (9.bxc3 Bxc3? 10.Qb3. Now if Black takes the rook with 10...Bxa1, White wins the black queen with 11.Bxf7+ Kf8 12.Bg5 Ne7 13.Re1. This trap is now well-known, and Black can avoid it by playing 10...d5, or earlier, 8...Bxc3.) After 8...Nxc3 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 the Møller Attack revived this line; Danish player Jørgen Møller published analysis of the line in Tidsskrift for Skak (1898). In the Møller Attack White sacrifices a pawn for development and the initiative:
8. 0-0 Bxc3! 9. d5 Bf6
- 9...Ne5 is also interesting; 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! is considered to lead 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 GrandmasterInternational GrandmasterThe title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Larry KaufmanLarry KaufmanLawrence C. "Larry" Kaufman is a Grandmaster of chess. He is also a mathematics professor and currently lives in Potomac, Maryland. In 2008, as an International Master, Kaufman won the World Senior Championship which automatically earned him the Grandmaster title.A long time researcher in...
; 14.Qh5 0-0 15.Rae1 Ng6! also favors Black.
14... Bd7 15. Qe2 Bxb5 16. Qxb5+ Qd7 17. Qxb7
- 17.Qe2 Kf8 wins a second pawn.
17... 0-0
- and Black is at least equal.
If White does not want to gambit
Gambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
material, instead of 7.Nc3 he can play 7. Bd2, which can 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 his isolated d-pawn can be a weakness.
Giuoco Pianissimo
With 4.d3, White plays the Giuoco Pianissimo (ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: "Quietest Game"). White aims for a slow buildup deferring d2–d4 until it can be prepared. By avoiding an immediate confrontation in the center White prevents the early release of tension through exchanges and enters a positional maneuvering game. If White plays c2–c3, the position can take some characteristics of the Ruy Lopez
Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
if his bishop retreats to c2 via Bc4–b3–c2. Despite its slow, drawish
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
reputation, this variation became more popular after being taken up by John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
in the 1980s. The common move orders are 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3, and the transposition via the Bishop's Opening
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing his d-pawn to d5....
: 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.c3.
ECO codes
Codes from the Encyclopaedia of Chess OpeningsEncyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
are:
- C50 Giuoco Pianissimo and some other minor King's Pawn GameKing's Pawn GameThe King's Pawn Game is any chess opening starting with the move:White opens with the most popular of the twenty possible opening moves. Though effective in winning for White , it is not as successful as the four next most common openings for White: 1.d4 , 1.Nf3 , 1.c4 , and 1.g3...
openings - C51 Evans GambitEvans GambitThe Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The gambit is named after the Welsh sea Captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have employed it. The first game with the opening is considered to be Evans - McDonnell, London 1827, although in that game a slightly...
- C52 Evans Gambit, with 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5
- C53 Giuoco Piano:
- without 4...Nf6
- with 4...Nf6 without 5.d4
- with 4...Nf6 5.d4 exd4 without 6.cxd4
- C54 Giuoco Piano, with 4...Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4