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Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026

Play against the Italian Game like Lucas van Foreest

A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 45 of Lucas van Foreest's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Lucas van Foreest chose most often. Where Lucas van Foreest 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 Lucas van Foreest or Chess.com.

  • Lucas van Foreest was #45 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,201) and scored 48% against opponents averaging 3,015 in these games.
  • You play Lucas van Foreest's own move in 13 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#45

Chess.com

Rating

3,201

Games

45

in this opening

Score

48%

in these games

Opponents

3,015

average rating

More about Lucas van Foreest

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 · 13% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 a5

  2. Line 2 · 13% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a5 8.Re1 h6 9.Nbd2 Be6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Nf1 d5

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 O-O 6.Nbd2 d5

  4. Line 4 · 7% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.Re1 a5

  5. Line 5 · 7% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.Bc4 Rf8

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

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

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.c3 d6 7.h3 a5 8.Re1 h6

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Qe2 d5 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.c4 Nf6 8.d4 e4 9.cxd5 O-O 10.dxc6 exf3 11.Qxf3 Bg4 12.Qc3 Nd5 13.Qc2 Nb4

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.Bg5 a5

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

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

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7 6.Bb3 Qe8

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.Nc3 d6

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.c3 d6 7.Bg5 a5

  15. Line 15 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.c3 d6 7.Re1 a5

  16. Line 16 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nc3 h6 6.O-O O-O

  17. Line 17 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d4 exd4

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

Lucas van Foreest's main line against the Italian Game, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 a5.

  1. 3…Nf6 Your move · Lucas van Foreest's games Lucas van Foreest played 3…Nf6 in 45 games, scoring 48%.
  2. 4.d3 Reply · Lucas van Foreest's games A common reply here is 4.d3. At top level, this comes up about 78% of the time.
  3. 4…Bc5 Your move · Lucas van Foreest's games Lucas van Foreest played 4…Bc5 in 31 games, scoring 55%.
  4. 5.O-O Reply · Lucas van Foreest's games A common reply here is 5.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 48% of the time.
  5. 5…O-O Your move · Lucas van Foreest's games Lucas van Foreest played 5…O-O in 15 games, scoring 50%.
  6. 6.Re1 Reply · Lucas van Foreest's games A common reply here is 6.Re1. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  7. 6…d6 Your move · Lucas van Foreest's games Lucas van Foreest played 6…d6 in 4 games, scoring 50%.
  8. 7.c3 Reply · Lucas van Foreest's games A common reply here is 7.c3.
  9. 7…a5 Your move · Lucas van Foreest's games Lucas van Foreest played 7…a5 in 2 games, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does Lucas van Foreest play against the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Lucas van Foreest's most common line is 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O O-O 6.Re1 d6 7.c3 a5. At top level it comes up about 13% of the time.
Is this Lucas van Foreest's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Lucas van Foreest's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Italian Game course based on?
45 of Lucas van Foreest's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,015. Lucas van Foreest scored 48% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
17 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.
Does Lucas van Foreest always play the best move?
The course follows the moves from the games. In 1 position a quick Stockfish check prefers another move by 0.7 pawns or more, and the course marks it.
Who is Lucas van Foreest?
GM Lucas van Foreest was ranked number 45 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,201 when this course was built.