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Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026

Play against the Italian Game like Hans Niemann

A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 40 of Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Hans Niemann chose most often. Where Hans Niemann 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 Hans Niemann or Chess.com.

  • Hans Niemann was #19 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,260) and scored 80% against opponents averaging 2,991 in these games.
  • You play Hans Niemann's own move in 12 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#19

Chess.com

Rating

3,260

Games

40

in this opening

Score

80%

in these games

Opponents

2,991

average rating

More about Hans Niemann

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 9 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 23% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 Be6

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nc3 d6 7.a3 h6 8.h3 a5

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 Na5 8.Bb5 a6 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bc2 c5

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.O-O O-O 11.Re1 f5 12.Nxe5 Qf6 13.Nf3 g5

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nc3 d6 7.a4 a5 8.h3 h6 9.Re1 Re8

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.a4 d6 7.Re1 Be6

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Bb3 d6 7.c3 h6 8.h3 Be6

  8. Line 8 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Be6 8.Nbd2 Bxc4 9.Nxc4 h6

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.Nc3 O-O 6.a3 d6 7.Be3 Be6 8.Ng5 Bxc4 9.dxc4 Qd7

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Be6 8.Bxe6 fxe6 9.c3 a5

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

Hans Niemann'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 O-O 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 Be6.

  1. 3…Nf6 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 3…Nf6 in 36 games, scoring 81%.
  2. 4.d3 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 4.d3. At top level, this comes up about 86% of the time.
  3. 4…Be7 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 4…Be7 in 15 games, scoring 67%.
  4. 5.O-O Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 5.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 75% of the time.
  5. 5…O-O Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 5…O-O in 13 games, scoring 62%.
  6. 6.Nbd2 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 6.Nbd2. At top level, this comes up about 23% of the time.
  7. 6…d6 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 6…d6 in 3 games, scoring 33%.
  8. 7.c3 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 7.c3.
  9. 7…Be6 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 7…Be6 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Hans Niemann play against the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Hans Niemann's most common line is 3…Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.Nbd2 d6 7.c3 Be6. At top level it comes up about 23% of the time.
Is this Hans Niemann's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Italian Game course based on?
40 of Hans Niemann's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,991. Hans Niemann scored 80% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
10 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 Hans Niemann?
GM Hans Niemann was ranked number 19 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,260 when this course was built.