C50 Italian Game
Also filed here: Four Knights Game.
C50 holds 22 named lines from two openings, most of them (21) under Italian Game. It leaves C44 (King’s Knight Opening: Normal Variation) with 3.Bc4. Lines of 11 other codes continue from its position, the widest spread of the 10 Italian Game codes. At five plies, its reference line is the shortest of the 10 Italian Game codes. Black’s pieces and pawns attack five squares in White’s half, level for the fewest of the 10 Italian Game codes.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3 | Bc4 |
The move that completes C50
The reference line of C51 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; C50 is the position reached at 3.Bc4.
- 3.Bc4 The bishop leaves f1 for c4, opening a line for the rook on h1.
Lines filed under C50
All 22 share their first five plies, the whole reference line and then split seven ways at Black’s move 3.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Game | (the shared start itself) | 5 | |
| Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense | 3...h6 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit | 3...Nd4 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Piano | 3...Bc5 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Hungarian Defense | 3...Be7 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Paris Defense | 3...d6 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit | 3...f5 | 6 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo | 3...Bc5 4.d3 | 7 | |
| Italian Game: Jerome Gambit | 3...Bc5 4.Bxf7+ | 7 | White +1, check |
| Italian Game: Rosentreter Gambit | 3...Bc5 4.d4 | 7 | |
| Four Knights Game: Italian Variation | 3...Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Lucchini Gambit | 3...Bc5 4.d3 f5 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal | 3...Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Classical Variation, Albin Gambit | 3...Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.c3 | 9 | White castled |
| Italian Game: Deutz Gambit | 3...Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d4 | 9 | White castled |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation | 3...Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 | 9 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo | 3...Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.O-O O-O | 10 | both castled |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Dubois Variation | 3...Bc5 4.d3 f5 5.Ng5 f4 | 10 | |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo | 3...Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.Nc3 d6 6.d3 | 11 | White castled |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo | 3...Bc5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 | 11 | both castled |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Canal Variation | 3...Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 | 11 | |
| Italian Game: Hungarian Defense, Tartakower Variation | 3...Be7 4.d4 exd4 5.c3 Nf6 6.e5 Ne4 | 12 | Black +1 |
The road to C50
- 1.e4 … 1...e5two earlier stops: B00, C20
- 2.Nf3C40 King’s Knight Opening
- 2...Nc6C44 Normal Variation
- 3.Bc4C50
The position after 3.Bc4
White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on c4; Black the knight on c6. Black is to move and has 31 legal moves.
Codes that branch off from C50
The reference lines of three other codes leave C50 from two of its named positions; “From” gives the last part of that position’s name.
| Code | From | Moves | Reference line |
|---|---|---|---|
| C51 | Giuoco Piano | 4.b4 | Italian Game: Evans Gambit |
| C53 | Giuoco Piano | 4.c3 | Italian Game: Classical Variation |
| C55 | Italian Game | 3...Nf6 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense |
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C60 | Ruy Lopez | two squares: c4, b5 |
| C23 | Bishop’s Opening | four squares: g1, f3, c6, b8 |
| C40 | King’s Knight Opening | four squares: f1, c4, c6, b8 |
| C46 | Three Knights Opening | four squares: b1, f1, c3, c4 |
| C56 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Open Variation | four squares: d2, d4, f6, g8 |
| C57 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knight Attack | four squares: f3, g5, f6, g8 |
| C61 | Ruy Lopez: Bird Variation | four squares: c4, d4, b5, c6 |
Where lines continue from here
Besides the codes above, they belong to C44, C47, C52, C54, C56, C57, C58, C59.
Other move orders
- Italian Game: Deutz Gambit is also reached inside C54 Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Holzhausen Attack, whose order is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.O-O Bc5 5.d4.