What do top players play against the Italian?

In Chess.com blitz, the top 10 players reach the Giuoco Pianissimo in 46% of 325 games. Here the Giuoco Pianissimo means …Bc5 and d3 within the first two moves of each side, in any order (3…Bc5 4.d3, 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5, 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3), not after the Evans Gambit 4.b4. The rest: the Two Knights with 4.d3 24%, the Paris Defense 12%, the Knight Attack 8%, the Classical Variation 5%, the other Giuoco Piano lines 4%, other systems 2%.

What is the second most common system against the Italian?

The next most played system is the Two Knights with 4.d3, in 24% of games. Here that means 3…Nf6 4.d3 without …Bc5 on the next move. Next: the Paris Defense at 12%, the Knight Attack at 8%, the Classical Variation at 5%, the other Giuoco Piano lines at 4%.

What does Sina Movahed play against the Italian?

In 61 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Sina Movahed's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (44 games), 3…d6 (14 games). Sina Movahed reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (42 games, 69%), then the Paris Defense (14, 23%).

What does Nihal Sarin play against the Italian?

In 54 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Nihal Sarin's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (46 games), 3…Nf6 (6 games). Nihal Sarin reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (32 games, 59%), then the Classical Variation (10, 19%).

What does Jan-Krzysztof Duda play against the Italian?

In 36 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Jan-Krzysztof Duda's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (18 games), 3…Nf6 (17 games). Jan-Krzysztof Duda reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (24 games, 67%), then the Knight Attack (5, 14%).

What do top players play after 3…Nf6 4.d3?

In the 123 games that reached the Two Knights with 4.d3 (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3), the most common fourth move is 4…Be7 (55 games, 45%), followed by 4…Bc5 Giuoco Pianissimo (44 games, 36%).

Does a high score mean the opening is good?

Not by itself. Scores also reflect the rating gap between the top players and their opponents. Compare lines by how often the top players choose them, and use the scores as context.

Where do these numbers come from?

From up to 1,000 Chess.com blitz games as Black of each of the top 10 players on the leaderboard. 325 of them start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. A win counts as 1 and a draw as ½, from the top player's side. The games were last refreshed on 22 Oct 2026.

Top players

Italian Game · Chess.com blitz · updated 22 Oct 2026

How the top 10 Chess.com blitz players play against the Italian Game

325 blitz games where a top-10 Chess.com player had Black and the opponent played the Italian Game, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. See which line each player reaches, what they play after 3…Nf6 4.d3 and how it scores: what to expect at 3.Bc4 from the very top. All of the top 10 have games against it.

Italian games

325

Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3)

46%

most played system

Top players' score

63%

vs ~3,100 avg opponents

Key findings

The Giuoco Pianissimo is the most common system. 46% of 325 games are Giuoco Pianissimo lines. The chart below breaks the rest down by system.
After 3…Nf6 4.d3, 4…Be7 leads. It was played in 55 of the 123 games after 3…Nf6 4.d3 (45%), ahead of 4…Bc5 Giuoco Pianissimo (44 games, 36%).

Which line each player reaches against 3.Bc4

Share of each player's games against the Italian. Tap or hover a segment for the count and the score.

Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3)
Two Knights (4.d3)
Paris Defense (3…d6)
Knight Attack (4.Ng5)
Classical (4.c3)
Giuoco Piano (other 4th moves)
Other systems

All 10 players

Faded rows: fewer than 20 games.

Table view

Each cell: games · share of the player's games · score
Player	Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3)	Two Knights (4.d3)	Paris Defense (3…d6)	Knight Attack (4.Ng5)	Classical (4.c3)	Giuoco Piano (other 4th moves)	Other systems
All 10 players	150 · 46% · 56%	79 · 24% · 66%	38 · 12% · 59%	25 · 8% · 80%	15 · 5% · 73%	12 · 4% · 75%	6 · 2% · 92%
Hikaru Nakamura	1 · 8% · 100%	10 · 83% · 65%	–	1 · 8% · 0%	–	–	–
Magnus Carlsen	2 · 18% · 75%	4 · 36% · 75%	1 · 9% · 100%	1 · 9% · 100%	2 · 18% · 25%	–	1 · 9% · 100%
Sina Movahed	42 · 69% · 56%	–	14 · 23% · 54%	–	–	4 · 7% · 100%	1 · 2% · 100%
Nihal Sarin	32 · 59% · 55%	2 · 4% · 75%	2 · 4% · 100%	1 · 2% · 0%	10 · 19% · 75%	6 · 11% · 50%	1 · 2% · 50%
Jan-Krzysztof Duda	24 · 67% · 52%	3 · 8% · 67%	1 · 3% · 100%	5 · 14% · 80%	1 · 3% · 100%	2 · 6% · 100%	–
Aleksei Sarana	5 · 11% · 50%	24 · 52% · 62%	5 · 11% · 30%	11 · 24% · 91%	–	–	1 · 2% · 100%
Wesley So	15 · 47% · 57%	15 · 47% · 83%	–	1 · 3% · 100%	1 · 3% · 100%	–	–
Denis Lazavik	7 · 27% · 64%	7 · 27% · 57%	–	2 · 8% · 100%	5 · 19% · 80%	4 · 15% · 50%	1 · 4% · 100%
Dmitry Andreikin	10 · 24% · 65%	14 · 33% · 57%	15 · 36% · 63%	2 · 5% · 50%	–	–	1 · 2% · 100%

System	Games	Share	Score	Avg opponent	Reaches it most (share)
Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3)	150	46%	56%	3,157	Sina Movahed · 69% (42 games)
Two Knights (4.d3)	79	24%	66%	3,109	Nihal Sarin · 4% (2 games)
Paris Defense (3…d6)	38	12%	59%	3,100	Sina Movahed · 23% (14 games)
Knight Attack (4.Ng5)	25	8%	80%	3,006	Nihal Sarin · 2% (1 game)
Classical (4.c3)	15	5%	73%	3,117	Nihal Sarin · 19% (10 games)
Giuoco Piano (other 4th moves)	12	4%	75%	3,158	Nihal Sarin · 11% (6 games)
Other systems	6	2%	92%	2,988	Nihal Sarin · 2% (1 game)

Player by player

The line each player reached most often, and what they play after 3…Nf6 4.d3.

Hikaru Nakamura

12 games vs the Italian · score 63%

Reached most: Two Knights (4.d3), 10 games (83%)

Next: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 1 game (8%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 11 games; most often 4…h6 (10 games)

Magnus Carlsen

11 games vs the Italian · score 73%

Reached most: Two Knights (4.d3), 4 games (36%)

Next: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 2 games (18%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 5 games; most often 4…h6 (3 games)

Sina Movahed

61 games vs the Italian · score 59%

Reached most: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 42 games (69%)

Next: Paris Defense (3…d6), 14 games (23%)

Also tries 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 3…d6 (14 games)

Nihal Sarin

54 games vs the Italian · score 59%

Reached most: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 32 games (59%)

Next: Classical (4.c3), 10 games (19%)

Jan-Krzysztof Duda

36 games vs the Italian · score 63%

Reached most: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 24 games (67%)

Next: Knight Attack (4.Ng5), 5 games (14%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 12 games; most often 4…Bc5 (Giuoco Pianissimo), 9 games

Aleksei Sarana

46 games vs the Italian · score 65%

Reached most: Two Knights (4.d3), 24 games (52%)

Next: Knight Attack (4.Ng5), 11 games (24%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 29 games; most often 4…Be7 (18 games)

Also tries 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 3…d6 (5 games)

Wesley So

32 games vs the Italian · score 72%

Reached most: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 15 games (47%)

Next: Two Knights (4.d3), 15 games (47%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 28 games and varies the fourth move: none more than 14 times

Denis Lazavik

26 games vs the Italian · score 67%

Reached most: Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3), 7 games (27%)

Next: Two Knights (4.d3), 7 games (27%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 9 games; most often 4…Be7 (7 games)

Dmitry Andreikin

42 games vs the Italian · score 62%

Reached most: Paris Defense (3…d6), 15 games (36%)

Next: Two Knights (4.d3), 14 games (33%)

Reaches the Two Knights with 4.d3 in 21 games; most often 4…Be7 (13 games)

Also tries 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 3…d6 (15 games)

After 3…Nf6 4.d3: move 4

123 games reached the Two Knights with 4.d3 (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3). Black's fourth move, player by player.

4…Be7
Giuoco Pianissimo (4…Bc5)
4…h6
4…d5
4…a6
Other fourth moves

All 10 players

Hikaru Nakamura (11)

Magnus Carlsen (5)

Jan-Krzysztof Duda (12)

Aleksei Sarana (29)

Wesley So (28)

Denis Lazavik (9)

Dmitry Andreikin (21)

Faded rows: fewer than 20 Two Knights 4.d3 games.

Table view

Each cell: games · share of the player's Two Knights 4.d3 games · score
Player	4…Be7	Giuoco Pianissimo (4…Bc5)	4…h6	4…d5	4…a6	Other fourth moves
All 10 players	55 · 45% · 66%	44 · 36% · 60%	17 · 14% · 79%	6 · 5% · 33%	1 · 1% · 50%	–
Hikaru Nakamura	–	1 · 9% · 100%	10 · 91% · 65%	–	–	–
Magnus Carlsen	1 · 20% · 0%	1 · 20% · 100%	3 · 60% · 100%	–	–	–
Jan-Krzysztof Duda	1 · 8% · 0%	9 · 75% · 50%	2 · 17% · 100%	–	–	–
Aleksei Sarana	18 · 62% · 72%	5 · 17% · 50%	–	5 · 17% · 30%	1 · 3% · 50%	–
Wesley So	14 · 50% · 82%	13 · 46% · 50%	1 · 4% · 100%	–	–	–
Denis Lazavik	7 · 78% · 57%	2 · 22% · 75%	–	–	–	–
Dmitry Andreikin	13 · 62% · 54%	7 · 33% · 71%	1 · 5% · 100%	–	–	–

Move explorer

Starts after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. Pick all 10 players or one of them, then click a move to go deeper. Rarer moves are grouped as other moves.

1.e4
e5
2.Nf3
Nc6
3.Bc4

Italian Game

325 games · top players scored 63%

Other moves: 2 games

Questions people ask

What do top players play against the Italian?: In Chess.com blitz, the top 10 players reach the Giuoco Pianissimo in 46% of 325 games. Here the Giuoco Pianissimo means …Bc5 and d3 within the first two moves of each side, in any order (3…Bc5 4.d3, 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5, 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3), not after the Evans Gambit 4.b4. The rest: the Two Knights with 4.d3 24%, the Paris Defense 12%, the Knight Attack 8%, the Classical Variation 5%, the other Giuoco Piano lines 4%, other systems 2%.
What is the second most common system against the Italian?: The next most played system is the Two Knights with 4.d3, in 24% of games. Here that means 3…Nf6 4.d3 without …Bc5 on the next move. Next: the Paris Defense at 12%, the Knight Attack at 8%, the Classical Variation at 5%, the other Giuoco Piano lines at 4%.
What does Sina Movahed play against the Italian?: In 61 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Sina Movahed's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (44 games), 3…d6 (14 games). Sina Movahed reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (42 games, 69%), then the Paris Defense (14, 23%).
What does Nihal Sarin play against the Italian?: In 54 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Nihal Sarin's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (46 games), 3…Nf6 (6 games). Nihal Sarin reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (32 games, 59%), then the Classical Variation (10, 19%).
What does Jan-Krzysztof Duda play against the Italian?: In 36 blitz games as Black against 3.Bc4, Jan-Krzysztof Duda's most common third moves were 3…Bc5 (18 games), 3…Nf6 (17 games). Jan-Krzysztof Duda reached the Giuoco Pianissimo most (24 games, 67%), then the Knight Attack (5, 14%).
What do top players play after 3…Nf6 4.d3?: In the 123 games that reached the Two Knights with 4.d3 (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3), the most common fourth move is 4…Be7 (55 games, 45%), followed by 4…Bc5 Giuoco Pianissimo (44 games, 36%).
Does a high score mean the opening is good?: Not by itself. Scores also reflect the rating gap between the top players and their opponents. Compare lines by how often the top players choose them, and use the scores as context.
Where do these numbers come from?: From up to 1,000 Chess.com blitz games as Black of each of the top 10 players on the leaderboard. 325 of them start 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. A win counts as 1 and a draw as ½, from the top player's side. The games were last refreshed on 22 Oct 2026.

How we counted

We took the Chess.com blitz games as Black of each of the top 10 players on the leaderboard, up to 1,000 each, and kept the ones that started 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. Each game counts under the first rule below that fits it:

Giuoco Pianissimo (…Bc5, d3): …Bc5 and d3 within the first two moves of each side, in any order (3…Bc5 4.d3, 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5, 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3), not after the Evans Gambit 4.b4.
Knight Attack (4.Ng5): 3…Nf6 4.Ng5.
Two Knights (4.d3): 3…Nf6 4.d3 without …Bc5 on the next move.
Classical (4.c3): 3…Bc5 4.c3, whatever follows.
Giuoco Piano (other 4th moves): 3…Bc5 with another fourth move (4.O-O, 4.Nc3, the Evans Gambit 4.b4).
Paris Defense (3…d6): 3…d6.
Other systems: everything else, such as 3…Nf6 with 4.O-O or 4.d4, 3…Be7 and 3…a6.

A win counts as 1 and a draw as ½, from the top player's side. Scores also reflect the rating gap: opponents average about 3,100.

The Giuoco Pianissimo is told apart by its moves in any order, so 3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6, 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5, 3…Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 and 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 count together. A system that is a position counts every game that reaches the position after the system's moves, in any order of those moves. A row or a card built on fewer than 20 games is faded. Players with fewer than 10 games in the opening have no card or row; their games count in the totals.

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