Giuoco Piano

The name is Italian for "quiet game", and older sources sometimes use Italian Game for this position alone rather than for 3. Bc4 in general. By bringing out the bishop before the king's knight, Black keeps the queen's watch over g5, so Ng5 ideas lose much of their force until Black has castled. The cost is that e4 is not attacked, which makes the line slower and more positional than the Two Knights Defense. The bishop also adds a third defender of d4, so White cannot simply play d4 and keep a pawn there without first preparing it with c3.

The Classical Variation, 4. c3, is the most common reply and aims at 5. d4. After 4...Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+, the old main line analyzed by Greco, White has several ways to meet the check. 7. Bd2 is the usual choice; after 7...Nxe4 8. Bxb4 Nxb4 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Qb3+, the quiet 10...Kf8 leads to a level endgame, while 10...d5 11. Ne5+ Kf6 12. f3 is the Krause Variation. Greco's Attack, 7. Nc3, offers the e-pawn: 7...Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 is the Møller Attack, whose Therkatz-Herzog line runs to 13...O-O 14. Nxh7 and has been analyzed to a draw, whereas 9. bxc3 d5 10. Ba3 is the Steinitz Variation. After 8...Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bxc3, Greco's trap 10. Qb3 is parried by the Bernstein Variation 10...d5, and the Aitken Variation 10. Ba3 is considered better for White. The Cracow Variation, 7. Kf1, gives up castling to avoid a pin and is now largely abandoned. Instead of recapturing on d4, White may also play 6. e5, favored by Sveshnikov, or Dubov's 6. b4.

The modern main line puts pawns on both c3 and d3, reached by 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 or through the Giuoco Pianissimo, 4. d3. White postpones d4 until it is well prepared, often reroutes the bishop to c2 via b3 in Ruy Lopez fashion, and can gain queenside space with b4 and a4. This plan avoids the heavy theory of the 5. d4 lines and has been used by Giri as a way around the Berlin Defense, and by Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi in elite games. 4. O-O is nearly as frequent as 4. d3 and keeps the choice between d3 and d4 open.

The gambits are less popular. The Evans Gambit, 4. b4, gains time for c3 and d4, and 4. d4, the Rosentreter Gambit, relies on tricks against f7 such as 4...exd4 5. c3 dxc3? 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Qd5+ but is not quite sound. The Jerome Gambit, 4. Bxf7+, is objectively very poor despite occasional club success. Damiano recorded games with the opening in the early 16th century. Across all lines the engine sees the position as roughly balanced, and White scores slightly better than Black in online play.