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Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026

Play against the Italian Game like Salem AR Saleh

A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 44 of Salem AR Saleh's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Salem AR Saleh chose most often. Where Salem AR Saleh 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 Salem AR Saleh or Chess.com.

  • Salem AR Saleh was #39 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,207) and scored 53% against opponents averaging 3,134 in these games.
  • You play Salem AR Saleh'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

#39

Chess.com

Rating

3,207

Games

44

in this opening

Score

53%

in these games

Opponents

3,134

average rating

More about Salem AR Saleh

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 13 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 13% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Be3 Bb6 6.Qe2 d6 7.a3 Be6 8.Nbd2 Qe7 9.Bb5 O-O

  2. Line 2 · 13% at top level

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

  3. Line 3 · 8% at top level

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

  4. Line 4 · 8% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O a6 6.c3 Ba7 7.Re1 d6 8.Nbd2 O-O 9.Nf1 Na5

  5. Line 5 · 8% at top level

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

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O a6 6.Nbd2 O-O

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.O-O a6 6.a4 d6

  8. Line 8 · 6% at top level

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

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nc3 a6 6.a4 O-O

  10. Line 10 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.h3 h6

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 a6 6.Bb3 d5

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Be3 Bb6 6.a4 d5

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 d6

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nc3 a6 6.O-O d6 7.h3 Na5

  15. Line 15 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Nd7 7.O-O Be7

  16. Line 16 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.Bg3 d6 8.Nc3 O-O

  17. Line 17 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.Bg3 d6 8.a4 O-O

  18. Line 18 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.Bg3 d6 8.h3 Na5 9.Nc3 Nxc4 10.dxc4 Be6

  19. Line 19 · 2% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.Nbd2 d6 8.a3 g5

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

Salem AR Saleh's main line against the Italian Game, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Be3 Bb6 6.Qe2 d6 7.a3 Be6 8.Nbd2 Qe7 9.Bb5 O-O.

  1. 3…Nf6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 3…Nf6 in 43 games, scoring 55%.
  2. 4.d3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 4.d3. At top level, this comes up about 98% of the time.
  3. 4…Bc5 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 4…Bc5 in 39 games, scoring 54%.
  4. 5.Be3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 5.Be3. At top level, this comes up about 15% of the time.
  5. 5…Bb6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 5…Bb6 in 6 games, scoring 83%.
  6. 6.Qe2 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 6.Qe2. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  7. 6…d6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 6…d6 in 5 games, scoring 80%.
  8. 7.a3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 7.a3.
  9. 7…Be6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 7…Be6 in 5 games, scoring 80%.
  10. 8.Nbd2 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 8.Nbd2.
  11. 8…Qe7 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 8…Qe7 in 3 games, scoring 100%.
  12. 9.Bb5 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 9.Bb5.
  13. 9…O-O Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 9…O-O in 2 games, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does Salem AR Saleh play against the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Salem AR Saleh's most common line is 3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Be3 Bb6 6.Qe2 d6 7.a3 Be6 8.Nbd2 Qe7 9.Bb5 O-O. At top level it comes up about 13% of the time.
Is this Salem AR Saleh's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Salem AR Saleh's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Italian Game course based on?
44 of Salem AR Saleh's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,134. Salem AR Saleh scored 53% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
19 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 Salem AR Saleh?
GM Salem AR Saleh was ranked number 39 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,207 when this course was built.