C51 Italian Game: Evans Gambit
C51 holds 29 named lines, all under the name Italian Game. It leaves C50 (Italian Game: Giuoco Piano) with 4.b4. Material is no longer level at the end of 21 of its lines; the widest gap, three pawns in Black’s favour, comes in Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mortimer-Evans Gambit. White’s pieces and pawns attack ten squares in Black’s half, level for the most of the 10 Italian Game codes. With 29 named lines it is the second-largest code of the 10 Italian Game codes.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3 | Bc4 | Bc5 |
| 4 | b4 |
The move that completes C51
The reference line of C52 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; C51 is the position reached at 4.b4.
- 4.b4 The b-pawn advances two squares to b4, covering a5 and c5, opening a line for the bishop on c1, attacking the bishop on c5.
Lines filed under C51
All 29 share their first seven plies, the whole reference line and then split four ways at Black’s move 4.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit | (the shared start itself) | 7 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted | 4...Bxb4 | 8 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined | 4...Bb6 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fontaine Countergambit | 4...b5 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Hein Countergambit | 4...d5 | 8 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined | 4...Bb6 5.a4 | 9 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Cordel Variation | 4...Bb6 5.Bb2 | 9 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 | 10 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mayet Defense | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bf8 | 10 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 | 10 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Stone-Ware Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bd6 | 10 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Showalter Variation | 4...Bb6 5.a4 a6 6.Nc3 | 11 | |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hirschbach Variation | 4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Nxe5 Qg5 | 12 | White +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Lange Variation | 4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Nxe5 Nh6 | 12 | White +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 Na5 | 12 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Vasquez Variation | 4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Nxe5 Qg5 7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Qh5 | 15 | White +2 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Harding Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 | 15 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense, Main Line | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 | 16 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hicken Variation | 4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Nxe5 Qg5 7.Qf3 Qxe5 8.Qxf7+ Kd8 9.Bb2 | 17 | Black +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 | 17 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Bg4 | 18 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser Attack | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Qa4 | 19 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Göring Attack | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bg5 | 19 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Ulvestad Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.d5 Na5 10.Bb2 | 19 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.d5 Na5 10.Bb2 Ne7 | 20 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Steinitz Variation | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Bg5 f6 11.Be3 | 21 | Black +1, White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Pavlov Variation | 4...Bb6 5.b5 Na5 6.Nxe5 Nh6 7.d4 d6 8.Bxh6 dxe5 9.Bxg7 Rg8 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Bxe5 Qg5 12.Nd2 | 23 | White +1 |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser-Mortimer Attack | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Qa4 Bd7 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ Kf8 13.Qc2 | 25 | White castled |
| Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mortimer-Evans Gambit | 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Qa4 Bd7 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Bxf7+ Kf8 13.Qc2 Kxf7 | 26 | Black +3, White castled |
The road to C51
- 1.e4 … 2...Nc6four earlier stops: B00, C20, C40, C44
- 3.Bc4C50 Italian Game
- 3...Bc5C50 Giuoco Piano
- 4.b4C51
The position after 4.b4
White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on c4; Black the knight on c6 and bishop on c5. Black could capture with Bxb4, Bxf2+, Nxb4. Undefended and attacked: the pawn on b4. Black is to move and has 35 legal moves.
Codes that branch off from C51
The reference lines of one other code leave C51 from the position after 4...Bxb4, each with its own moves.
| Code | Moves | Reference line |
|---|---|---|
| C52 | 5.c3 Ba5 | Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line |
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C53 | Italian Game: Classical Variation | four squares: b2, c2, c3, b4 |
| C64 | Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation | four squares: b2, b4, c4, b5 |
| C44 | King’s Knight Opening: Normal Variation | six squares: f1, b2, b4, c4, c5, f8 |
| C54 | Italian Game: Classical Variation | six squares: b2, c2, c3, b4, f6, g8 |
| C55 | Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | six squares: b2, b4, c5, f6, f8, g8 |
| C60 | Ruy Lopez | six squares: b2, b4, c4, b5, c5, f8 |
| C23 | Bishop’s Opening | eight squares: g1, b2, f3, b4, c5, c6, b8, f8 |
Where lines continue from here
Twenty-two named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 4.b4. All of them belong to the codes listed above.