Italian Game

With 3. Bc4 White places the bishop on the diagonal pointing at f7, the square defended only by Black's king, and gains influence over d5. Both kingside minor pieces are out, so castling is imminent, and the usual follow-ups are c3 with d4 to build a broad center, or the slower c3 and d3. Unlike 3. Bb5, the bishop does not press on the c6-knight and the e5-pawn. Since nothing is threatened yet, Black can choose among several developing replies.

The two principal answers are close in popularity. 3...Nf6, the Two Knights Defense, counterattacks e4 and allows 4. Ng5, aimed at f7, which leads to some of the sharpest positions in the open games; 4. Nc3 is less effective because of the fork trick 4...Nxe4 5. Nxe4 d5, so White often prefers the restrained 4. d3. 3...Bc5, the Giuoco Piano, develops the bishop first so that the queen still covers g5 until Black has castled. White then chooses between 4. c3, preparing d4 (the Classical Variation), the positional 4. d3 (Giuoco Pianissimo), and gambits such as the Evans Gambit, 4. b4, or the Rosentreter Gambit, 4. d4. The modern main line, with c3 and d3, is a maneuvering game resembling the Ruy Lopez, in which Black usually chooses between ...d6 with queenside expansion and castling followed by ...d5.

The remaining replies are secondary. 3...h6, the Anti-Fried Liver Defense, is frequent in online play but spends a tempo, and 4. d4 opens the center before Black can develop. 3...d6, the Paris Defense, and 3...Be7, the Hungarian Defense, are passive but solid, often heading for Philidor-type structures. 3...Nd4, the Blackburne-Kostić Gambit, sets the trap 4. Nxe5? Qg5, though 4. Nxd4 exd4 leaves Black behind in development; 3...f5, the Rousseau Gambit, is best met by 4. d3 or 4. d4. Both score well for Black in online games despite their dubious theoretical reputation.

The opening is among the oldest on record, analyzed in the Göttingen manuscript and in the games of Polerio and Greco. The Evans Gambit dominated in the 19th century, after which the Ruy Lopez displaced 3. Bc4 at master level. Interest returned in the late 20th century through the Giuoco Pianissimo, which Karpov used in the 1981 world championship, and grew further once the Berlin Defense made White players look for alternatives to 3. Bb5. The umbrella name Italian Game was promoted by Harding and Botterill in 1977. The engine assessment of the starting position is close to equality, and the opening is one of the most frequently reached positions in online play.