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Italian Game · As Black · updated October 2026

Play against the Italian Game like Pranav V

A repertoire against the Italian Game built from 79 of Pranav V's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Pranav V chose most often. Where Pranav V 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 Pranav V or Chess.com.

  • Pranav V was #18 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,260) and scored 61% against opponents averaging 3,066 in these games.
  • You play Pranav V's own move in 14 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#18

Chess.com

Rating

3,260

Games

79

in this opening

Score

61%

in these games

Opponents

3,066

average rating

More about Pranav V

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 · 9% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.a4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7

  2. Line 2 · 9% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.a4 g6 7.a5 Bg7

  3. Line 3 · 9% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.c3 d6 6.a4 Be7

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.c3 g6 7.d4 Bg4 8.Qb3 Na5

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.c3 g6 7.d4 Bg4 8.Re1 Bg7

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.c3 g6 7.d4 Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.Nc3 Na5

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.Re1 Na5

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.a4 d6 6.c3 Be7

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.c3 d6 6.Bb3 g6

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.c3 d6 6.O-O g6

  12. Line 12 · 4% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.c3 g6 7.a4 Bg7 8.Re1 O-O 9.h3 a5

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5 9.h4 h6 10.Qh5 Qf6

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6

  15. Line 15 · 3% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 cxb5 9.Qxa8 Qc7 10.Qf3 Nc6 11.c3 Bg4 12.Qe3 h6

  16. Line 16 · 3% 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 14.c4 Nf4 15.Bf1 g4

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

Pranav V's main line against the Italian Game, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.a4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7.

  1. 3…Nf6 Your move · Pranav V's games Pranav V played 3…Nf6 in 75 games, scoring 61%.
  2. 4.d3 Reply · Pranav V's games A common reply here is 4.d3. At top level, this comes up about 79% of the time.
  3. 4…h6 Your move · Pranav V's games Pranav V played 4…h6 in 37 games, scoring 55%.
  4. 5.O-O Reply · Pranav V's games A common reply here is 5.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 51% of the time.
  5. 5…d6 Your move · Pranav V's games Pranav V played 5…d6 in 22 games, scoring 50%.
  6. 6.a4 Reply · Pranav V's games A common reply here is 6.a4. At top level, this comes up about 19% of the time.
  7. 6…g6 Your move · Pranav V's games Pranav V played 6…g6 in 4 games, scoring 63%.
  8. 7.Nc3 Reply · Pranav V's games A common reply here is 7.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  9. 7…Bg7 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.

Questions about this course

How does Pranav V play against the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, Pranav V's most common line is 3…Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.O-O d6 6.a4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Pranav V's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Pranav V's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Italian Game course based on?
79 of Pranav V's Chess.com blitz games in the Italian Game as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,066. Pranav V scored 61% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
16 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 Pranav V?
GM Pranav V was ranked number 18 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,260 when this course was built.