The Giuoco Pianissimo is the Italian Game with 4.: you back up e4 with a pawn and hold off the fight for the center. After , strong players go 5., 6., 7. and 8., saving d4 for later. Across 329,104 Lichess games at 900–1700 (September 2026), you score 51%, and that barely changes from one rating band to the next.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
6 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 4., 41 of every 100 opponents at your level play . Among online players rated 2200+ it's 69 of every 100, and in over-the-board games at 2300+ it's 83. At your level the rest mostly split between (28 of every 100) and (24 of every 100), which takes g5 away from your knight and bishop. Later, after 5. 6., 45 of every 100 opponents at your level pin your knight with . Only 5 of every 100 strong players do that; they'd rather castle or play or .
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.2% | 50.5% | 69.2% | 82.8% | |
| 27.5% | 49.6% | 24.4% | 12.8% | |
| 24.1% | 48.3% | 3.9% | 4.4% | |
| 1.2% | 52.4% | 0.4% | no data | |
| 1.1% | 51.1% | 1.0% | no data | |
| 1.1% | 55.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4% | 51.8% | 41.9% | 57.9% | |
| 20.7% | 54.0% | 9.6% | no data | |
| 13.6% | 51.8% | 6.2% | 4.6% | |
| 9.3% | 53.4% | no data | 28.9% | |
| 8.3% | 58.4% | 8.1% | 3.3% | |
| 6.9% | 53.9% | 12.3% | 5.3% | |
| no data | no data | 16.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.6% | 51.4% | 5.2% | no data | |
| 23.0% | 54.2% | 25.1% | 9.7% | |
| 11.2% | 50.9% | 11.7% | 11.7% | |
| 9.5% | 50.6% | no data | no data | |
| 7.0% | 49.5% | 24.9% | 14.3% | |
| 2.0% | 53.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 23.0% | 61.0% | |
| no data | no data | 8.6% | 3.2% |
The Giuoco Pianissimo keeps the center closed early. With 4. your e4 pawn is protected, and the goal is to get everything ready before you push d4. The strong players' line shows the order: 5. 6. 7. 8..
5. comes first because it covers d4 and b4. It prepares d4 for whenever you want to open up, and it gets b4 ready to kick the bishop on c5. That's also why your b1 knight doesn't go to c3: its square is d2, as in 6..
6. tucks your king away before anything opens. It's the top choice among strong players; at your level only 25 of every 100 play it here, and 21 push 6. first.
is Black's answer to your b4 idea: the a5 pawn covers that square and slows your queenside expansion. In over-the-board games at 2300+, 61 of every 100 players choose it.
7. adds the rook to the defense of e4, which the f6 knight is hitting. Now the d3 pawn isn't holding e4 on its own, and when you finally play d4, e4 stays solid.
8. takes g4 away from the c8 bishop and the f6 knight. At your level this is the key move of the plan: the pin against your queen is your opponents' most common reply, and the jump lines up on f2 with the c5 bishop. With a pawn on h3, neither piece can settle on g4, and your f3 knight stays free to support d4 when the time comes. After , 98 of every 100 strong players choose it.
At the end of the line you have pawns on c3, d3 and e4, your king castled, a rook on e1 and g4 sealed off. That's when d4 comes into play: the center is backed up and there's no pin to slow it down.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 2,128 | 70.5% | |
| 6,435 | 43.5% | |
| 5,028 | 56.1% | |
| 2,827 | 42.8% | |
| 2,225 | 25.7% | |
| 605 | 66.0% | |
| 332 | 83.7% | |
| 292 | 97.6% |
After , the queen and the c5 bishop are both aiming at f2, and your f3 knight is what blocks the file. Move it with 5. and follows. Hit the queen with 5. instead: that scores 51 of every 100 points, while 5. scores just 14. About 3 of every 100 players who reach this position fall for it.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 10 pawns of advantage. It scores 14.4%; scores 51.3%.
After 5. , f7 is guarded by both the rook and the king. 6. 7. hands over knight and bishop for a rook and a pawn, and in the middlegame those two pieces are worth more. 15 of every 100 players try it here; if you do, you score 42 of every 100 points.
15 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.1 pawns of advantage.
After 5. , 6. puts your queen on f3 and takes that retreat away from your knight. attacks the knight, and if you trade with 7. 8. , you give bishop and knight for a rook and a pawn. 7 of every 100 players choose it here, and it scores 39 of every 100 points.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 3.6 pawns of advantage.
6. after 5. looks like an attack, but after 7. you've traded your two most active pieces for a rook and a pawn. It happens in 10 of every 100 games that reach this spot, and you score 44 of every 100 points. Once your opponent has castled, rook and king defend f7.
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.1 pawns of advantage.
After 5. , knight and bishop gang up on f2. 80 of every 100 players cover it with 6., but 6. is better: it hits the c5 bishop and the e5 pawn, backed by c3, the knight and the queen. It's rarely punished at your level: you score 55 of every 100 points with 6. and 58 with 6..
80 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.5%; scores 57.8%.
After 5. , 6. props up the knight so can't chase it away, but it adds nothing against f7, which the rook and king defend, and your king is still in the center. Your opponent can calmly answer with and . At your level this is rarely punished: you score 49 of every 100 points.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 168,260 | ||
| Not castled | 37,083 | |
| Not castled | 36,619 | |
| 24,882 | ||
| 23,119 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 21,529 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 251 | ||
| 18 | ||
| 13 | ||
| Not castled | 10 | |
| 9 | ||
| Not castled | 7 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 114,797 amateur games · 189 over the board
The same position by a different move order: 4. . You score 51 of every 100 points.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 95,096 amateur games · 97 over the board
5. develops the knight ahead of the c-pawn. You score 53 of every 100 points.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · 16,836 amateur games · 2 over the board
After 5. , 6. pins the f6 knight to the queen. You score 54 of every 100 points.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 4,301 amateur games
goes straight at e4. After 5. , you score just 26 of every 100 points.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C50
895 amateur games · White's score: 25.7%
Both come from 3. . The Pianissimo is the version with 4.: you protect e4 with a pawn and save the d4 break for after 5., castling and 8.. At your level it shows up in about 1 of every 100 games, and you score 51 of every 100 points in it, nearly the same from 900 to 1700.
After 4. , play 5. to cover d4 and b4, castle, and bring the rook to e1 to shore up e4. Then 8. takes g4 away from your opponent's bishop and knight. If you play 5. and your opponent castles with , don't sacrifice on f7: rook and king defend it, and those sacrifices cost you pieces.