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Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026

Play against the Italian Game like Alexander Grischuk

A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 56 of Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Alexander Grischuk chose most often. Where Alexander Grischuk 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 Alexander Grischuk or Chess.com.

  • Alexander Grischuk was #24 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,249) and scored 72% against opponents averaging 2,905 in these games.
  • You play Alexander Grischuk's own move in 11 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#24

Chess.com

Rating

3,249

Games

56

in this opening

Score

72%

in these games

Opponents

2,905

average rating

More about Alexander Grischuk

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 11 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 6% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.b4 Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.b5 Ne7

  2. Line 2 · 5% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.O-O d6 6.c3 a6 7.Re1 O-O 8.a4 Ng4

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.h3 h6

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Nbd2 a5 7.O-O O-O 8.h3 Be6

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.Bb3 O-O

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.Re1 O-O 8.Nbd2 Ba7 9.Nf1 Na5 10.Bb3 Nxb3 11.axb3 h6

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 h6 6.h3 d6 7.Na4 Bb6 8.a3 Bd7 9.O-O O-O

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.c3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 a5 8.Nbd2 Ba7 9.a4 g5

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.b4 Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.Bd5 Nxc3

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.a4 Ba7 8.Be3 Bxe3

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.a4 Ba7 8.Nbd2 h6

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.O-O a6 7.a4 Ba7 8.Re1 O-O

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.b4 Bb6 7.a4 a5 8.b5 Ne7 9.Nbd2 Ng6

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Alexander Grischuk's main line against the Italian Game, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.b4 Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.b5 Ne7.

  1. 3…Bc5 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 3…Bc5 in 42 games, scoring 74%.
  2. 4.c3 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 4.c3. At top level, this comes up about 43% of the time.
  3. 4…Nf6 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 4…Nf6 in 18 games, scoring 81%.
  4. 5.d4 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 5.d4. At top level, this comes up about 14% of the time.
  5. 5…exd4 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 5…exd4 in 6 games, scoring 67%.
  6. 6.b4 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 6.b4. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  7. 6…Bb6 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 6…Bb6 in 4 games, scoring 63%.
  8. 7.e5 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 7.e5.
  9. 7…Ne4 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 7…Ne4 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  10. 8.b5 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 8.b5. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
  11. 8…Ne7 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.

Questions about this course

How does Alexander Grischuk play against the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Alexander Grischuk's most common line is 3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.b4 Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.b5 Ne7. At top level it comes up about 6% of the time.
Is this Alexander Grischuk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Italian Game course based on?
56 of Alexander Grischuk's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,905. Alexander Grischuk scored 72% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
14 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 Alexander Grischuk?
GM Alexander Grischuk was ranked number 24 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,249 when this course was built.