Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026
Play against the Italian Game like Rudik Makarian
A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 105 of Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Rudik Makarian chose most often. Where Rudik Makarian has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Rudik Makarian or Chess.com.
- Rudik Makarian was #23 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,245) and scored 63% against opponents averaging 3,015 in these games.
- You play Rudik Makarian's own move in 32 of 40 positions.
- The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.
Train lines
Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.
Free · first 5 lines need no account
Blitz rank
#23
Chess.com
Rating
3,245
Games
105
in this opening
Score
63%
in these games
Opponents
3,015
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 9% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.Nc3 O-O 7.a4 a5
- New
Line 2 · 7% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.a4 Be6 7.Nbd2 Bxc4 8.Nxc4 h6
- New
Line 3 · 7% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.c3 O-O
- New
Line 4 · 6% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.Nc3 d6 6.a4 Na5 7.Ba2 Nc6
- New
Line 5 · 5% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.a4 Be6 7.Nc3 Bxc4 8.dxc4 a5 9.Re1 Nb4
- New
Line 6 · 4% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.Re1 Na5 7.Bb5+ c6 8.Ba4 b5 9.Bb3 O-O 10.h3 c5
- New
Line 7 · 4% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.a3 O-O 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Nd5 a5
- New
Line 8 · 4% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.Nc3 d6 6.a3 a5
- New
Line 9 · 4% at top level
3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.Nc3 Nd5
- New
Line 10 · 4% at top level
3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.O-O e4
- New
Line 11 · 3% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.a4 Be6 7.Bxe6 fxe6 8.c3 a5
- New
Line 12 · 3% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Nd7 7.O-O Be7 8.Bxc6 bxc6
- New
Line 13 · 3% at top level
3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.c3 O-O 6.O-O d6
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Rudik Makarian's main line against the Italian Game, move by move
The most common line at top level: 3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.Nc3 O-O 7.a4 a5.
- 3…Nf6 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 3…Nf6 in 100 games, scoring 62%.
- 4.d3 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 4.d3. At top level, this comes up about 82% of the time.
- 4…Be7 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 4…Be7 in 81 games, scoring 62%.
- 5.O-O Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 5.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 59% of the time.
- 5…d6 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 5…d6 in 43 games, scoring 66%.
- 6.Nc3 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 6.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
- 6…O-O Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 6…O-O in 5 games, scoring 90%.
- 7.a4 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 7.a4. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
- 7…a5 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 7…a5 in 3 games, scoring 100%.
Questions about this course
- How does Rudik Makarian play against the Italian Game?
- After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Rudik Makarian's most common line is 3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O d6 6.Nc3 O-O 7.a4 a5. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
- Is this Rudik Makarian's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this Italian Game course based on?
- 105 of Rudik Makarian's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,015. Rudik Makarian scored 63% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 13 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
- Who is Rudik Makarian?
- GM Rudik Makarian was ranked number 23 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,245 when this course was built.