The Giuoco Piano is 1. 2. 3. : your bishop lands on c5 and eyes f2, a square only White's king defends. Across 155,495 Lichess games between 900 and 1700 (September 2026) you score 51.1%. The reply worth preparing for is 4., which prepares a pawn push to d4 against your bishop.
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.
10 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , White's fourth move is split at your level: 4. and 4. each turn up in 25 of every 100 games, 4. in 20 and 4. in 14. Strong players lean toward 4., close to half their games, a move that prepares a pawn on d4 to hit your bishop. Against 4., players at your level answer 53 times in 100 and 29 times; above 2200 online, climbs to 82 in 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.0% | 50.0% | 16.0% | 35.5% | |
| 24.7% | 54.1% | 45.5% | 45.6% | |
| 20.4% | 50.3% | 23.3% | 12.2% | |
| 14.0% | 50.5% | 3.0% | 4.2% | |
| 5.7% | 53.8% | 1.5% | no data | |
| 4.2% | 54.8% | 9.8% | 2.4% |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.1% | 54.0% | 82.4% | 96.5% | |
| 29.4% | 53.3% | 9.6% | 3.5% | |
| 7.2% | 54.8% | no data | no data | |
| 3.3% | 54.2% | no data | no data | |
| 1.7% | 48.0% | 1.4% | no data | |
| 1.2% | 53.5% | 0.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.2% | 56.5% | 48.3% | 21.0% | |
| 27.3% | 52.1% | 47.7% | 79.0% | |
| 5.9% | 51.5% | 2.2% | no data | |
| 4.0% | 48.6% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 2.9% | 48.0% | no data | no data | |
| 1.4% | 51.1% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.5% | 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 |
The line strong players follow is 4. 5. 6. 7. . The goal is to hold your e5 pawn, keep the c5 bishop on its diagonal toward f2, and castle before White gets a supported pawn to d4. What you end up with is a closed structure: your pawns on e5 and d6 against White's on e4, d3 and c3.
comes first because it hits e4, and at that moment no white piece guards it. White usually picks one of two roads: 5., which shows up in 55 of every 100 games at your level and opens the center, or 5., which protects the pawn and is the choice in 79 of every 100 over-the-board games above 2300.
After 5., gives e5 a second defender next to the c6 knight and opens the diagonal for your c8 bishop. With White's pawn already on c3, another pawn on b4 would attack your c5 bishop and kick it with gain of time. That is why comes before castling: with your pawn on a5, any pawn that reaches b4 can be taken. Then 7. adds the rook to the defense of e4, which only the d3 pawn was covering, and prepares the push to d4. Your gets the king safe before that break opens the e-file.
This is where your level and the strong players part ways most clearly. After 6., players at your level go in 45 of every 100 games; strong players pick it in only 5. They prefer , which looks after the c5 bishop first and leaves the other bishop for later. Keep in mind, too, that a bishop on g4 can be hit by a white pawn on h3.
If you meet 5. instead of 5., trade with and, after 6., check with : if White blocks with 7., that knight is pinned to its king and no longer guards e4.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 12,542 | 45.5% | |
| 5,679 | 83.1% | |
| 4,703 | 49.3% | |
| 5,028 | 56.1% | |
| 2,827 | 42.8% | |
| 2,225 | 25.7% | |
| 605 | 66.0% | |
| 332 | 83.7% |
After 4., spends the tempo that needed and leaves e4 alone. White goes 5., hitting your bishop; after that bishop blocks your d7 pawn, and 6. 7. hands White the center. At your level 7 in 100 play it, and you score 45 points per 100 against 46 with : hardly anyone punishes it.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.2%; scores 46.0%.
This position is in the free course: If Black develops the bishop to c5.
4. aims knight and bishop at f7, but the knight has no defender: just wins it. With you guard f7 and pass up a free piece, and after 5. the knight walks home unharmed. Facing 4., 19 in 100 players at your level choose it; you score 72 points per 100 with and 58 with .
19 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 7.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 58.2%; scores 71.9%.
Against 4., is an inaccuracy, not a serious mistake. It delays and lets White build the center: 5. 6. 7. leaves pawns on e4 and d4. About 8 in 100 play it; your score drops by less than 1 point per 100, so at your level it almost never gets punished.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.8%; scores 49.5%.
After 4. 5., hits f2 with knight and bishop, but the answer is 6., which attacks your bishop and cuts its diagonal to f2. After 7. , 8. hits your queen, and takes the square your knight would retreat to. You score almost the same as with : the punishment rarely comes.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.7%; scores 47.0%.
This position is in the free course: If Black hits e4 with the knight.
After 4. 5., goes after f2 with knight and bishop, but 6. covers it with the rook and your knight heads back with : two tempi gone while White develops with 7.. It is an inaccuracy, yet it shows: you score 43 points per 100 with it and 49 with .
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.3%; scores 49.0%.
After 4., clears a7 for the bishop but puts no pressure on e4. White plays 5. unopposed: 6. 7. leaves pawns on e4 and d4 with the knight already out. Only 3 in 100 choose it, and you score about the same as with , so at your level it rarely matters.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.8%; scores 46.0%.
This position is in the free course: If Black develops the bishop to c5.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 87,736 | ||
| Not castled | 29,100 | |
| 14,117 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 10,813 |
| Not castled | 6,012 | |
| 3,143 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | ||
| Not castled | 1 | |
| 1 |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · 9,895 amateur games
After 5. 6. , 7. gives up e4: the knight is pinned.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · C54
1,118 amateur games · White's score: 73.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C54
73 amateur games · White's score: 57.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · C54
30 amateur games · White's score: 61.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · C54
20 amateur games · White's score: 75.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. · C54
10 amateur games · White's score: 50.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · C54
9 amateur games · White's score: 44.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · C54
2 amateur games · White's score: 100.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. · C54
1 amateur game · White's score: 0.0%
It is the Italian Game when you meet 3. with , so each side has a bishop trained on the other's weak square, f7 and f2. The main line starts with 4., preparing a pawn on d4. At your level it comes up in 5 of every 1000 games, and results are close to even: you take a little over half the points.
The big split comes after 4. . 5. opens the center and leads to Greco's Attack after 6. 7., while 5. keeps things closed. At your level 5. turns up in 55 of every 100 games; over the board above 2300, 5. is the choice in 79. White can also hold off on 4. and play 4. or 4..
Pianissimo is the name for slow lines such as 4., which keeps e4 protected and doesn't try to open the center. The classical Giuoco Piano is 4., aiming for a pawn on d4. At your level each shows up in 25 of every 100 games; strong players prefer 4., though over the board 79 in 100 follow with 5..
The Evans is 4.: White offers a pawn that your c5 bishop can take, since nothing guards b4. In the Giuoco Piano proper, White plays 4. and keeps the pawn. At your level 4. appears in 4 of every 100 games after , and you score 45 points per 100 against it. Strong players online pick it in 10 of every 100.