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Italian Game
Features:
🔱
Flexible.
May become wildly sharp, or slow and positional.
⏳
Theoretical.
Theoretical. Requires concrete opening preparation.
👥
Prevalent.
Opponents will have experience against common lines.
☘
Attainable.
Frequent opportunities to play this opening.
Description:
The Italian Game is one of the oldest classical openings for White. With Bc4, White takes aim at Black's weak f7 pawn. In most variations, White has options to dictate the pace of the game, making the Italian a flexible weapon.
Features:
🔱
Flexible.
May become wildly sharp, or slow and positional.
⏳
Theoretical.
Theoretical. Requires concrete opening preparation.
👥
Prevalent.
Opponents will have experience against common lines.
☘
Attainable.
Frequent opportunities to play this opening.
Motifs:
White prepares the central pawn break d4 to open the position.
- White can play this break right away to enter sharp positions, or delay the break (e.g. play d3 first) for quieter play.
White preserves their powerful light-square bishop by playing a3 (making retreat on a2), or playing c3 (making retreat via c4-b5-a4-c2).
In slower positions, White can route their b1 knight to the kingside by borrowing a common Ruy Lopez maneuver: Nbd2 to f1 to g3, and later to f5.
Black often has attacking chances of their own on the kingside, involving their dark-square bishop on the dangerous a7-g1 diagonal.
