Italian Game: Quick Overview
A short intro to the Italian Game (Giuoco Piano) and why it's a solid choice for beginners.
20 February 2025 · Openings · 1 min read
What is the Italian Game?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, we reach the Italian Game. White targets the f7 square and prepares to castle quickly.
Why play it?
It's easy to learn, leads to open positions, and teaches good opening principles: control the centre, develop pieces, and get your king safe.
One main line
Black often plays 3…Bc5 (Giuoco Piano) or 3…Nf6. Both are sound. We'll look at plans for White in a future post.
This is a placeholder post to test the blog pipeline.