Italian Game
White scores
52.1%
Wins more50.2% won3.7% drawn46.1% lost
Theory 53.4% · Stockfish +0.4
Every level and clock · 135M games
Win rate by rating
White’s score gets better as the rating rises.
| Rating | Score against even | Score | Won | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.9% | 50.2% | 8.9M | ||
| 52.6% | 51.0% | 18M | ||
| 52.3% | 50.6% | 26M | ||
| 51.9% | 50.2% | 29M | ||
| 51.8% | 49.9% | 25M | ||
| 51.7% | 49.6% | 17M | ||
| 51.7% | 49.3% | 7.7M | ||
| 52.5% | 49.7% | 2.8M | ||
| 54.0% | 45.0% | 506K |
Every clock · Tap a row to set your level.
What does Black play next?
Black's most played reply is 3…h6, the Anti-Fried Liver Defense.
Is the Italian Game good?
Yes, for White, across every level and clock.
Stockfish at depth 22 · +0.4 for White
Floor 52.1 is the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Among the families
Where it wins · rating × clock
Faint, hatched: few games, never the best or worst. –: too few to score. Tap a cell to set your level and clock.
Average game length
How do you score in your own openings?
Leaks reads your recent games and lists the openings you score worst in.
More Italian Game lines
Most played first; each line counts its own games.
- Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening52.6%3…Nf6 4.d38.5M games
- Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal51.2%3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc57.7M games
- Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation52.8%3…Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc36.6M games
- Giuoco Pianissimo49.4%3…Bc5 4.d36.5M games
- Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo52.5%3…Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d35.0M games
- Classical Variation53.4%3…Bc5 4.c34.7M games
All 145 Italian Game lines, ranked
145 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Every Italian Game variation, by name145
- Italian Game
- Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
- Italian Game: Bird's Attack
- Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit
- Italian Game: Classical Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Albin Gambit
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Attack
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Closed Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Eisinger Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Ghulam-Kassim Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Albin Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Main Line
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a4 a5
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a5
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with a6
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with h6
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Anderssen Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Dubov Italian
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Greco Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Main Line
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Modern Line
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Bayonet Attack
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Traditional Line
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, La Bourdonnais Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Mestel Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Tarrasch Variation
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, with d5
- Italian Game: Deutz Gambit
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Cordel Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hirschbach Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Lange Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Showalter Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Alapin-Steinitz Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Anderssen Variation, Cordel Line
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Bronstein Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense, Main Line
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Dufresne Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fontaine Countergambit
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Fraser Attack
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Harding Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Hein Countergambit
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Laroche Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Lasker Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mayet Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, McDonnell Defense, Main Line
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Mieses Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Morphy Attack
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Paulsen Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Richardson Attack
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Sanders-Alapin Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Sokolsky Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Stone-Ware Variation
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Tartakower Attack
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Waller Attack
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Canal Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Dubois Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Lucchini Gambit
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Normal
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Aitken Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Bernstein Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Cracow Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Holzhausen Attack
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Krause Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Rosentreter Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Steinitz Variation
- Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Therkatz-Herzog Variation
- Italian Game: Hungarian Defense
- Italian Game: Hungarian Defense, Tartakower Variation
- Italian Game: Jerome Gambit
- Italian Game: Paris Defense
- Italian Game: Rosentreter Gambit
- Italian Game: Rousseau Gambit
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Canal Variation
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, de Riviere Defense
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack Accepted
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Long Variation
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack, Spielmann Defense
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Walbrodt-Baird Gambit
- Italian Game: Scotch Invitation Declined
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Blackburne Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Colman Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fegatello Attack, Leonhardt Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fried Liver Attack
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fritz Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Fritz, Gruber Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Keidansky Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Kloss Gambit
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knight Attack
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knight Attack, Normal Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Knorre Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Lolli Attack
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Maróczy Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Berger Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Krause Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Loman Defense
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Max Lange Attack, Rubinstein Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Open Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Paoli Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Perreux Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Pincus Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bogoljubow Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Göring Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Yankovich Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Ponziani-Steinitz Gambit
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Steinitz Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Bishop Sacrifice Line
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, King March Line
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Knight Sacrifice Line
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Variation, Trencianske-Teplice Gambit
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Ulvestad Variation
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Ulvestad Variation, Kurkin Gambit
- Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Yurdansky Attack
Methodology
Across every level and clock, the Italian Game family scores 52.1% for White, from 135M rated Lichess games across 145 variations, and the low and high ends of its range both round to that same figure at this precision. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played September 2023 to August 2026.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 135M rated games played on Lichess (2023-09 to 2026-08). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt September 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- What the Floor and Edge at worst are
- The Floor is the worst score you would still get, 90% confident: the low end of a figure’s range, not its average. Edge at worst is how far wins run ahead of losses, 90% confident, so above zero, that side wins more than it loses even on a bad day. Each is stated for the rating and clock shown, over the games that reached the position. They are on different scales: a score sits at 50 when the sides are level, an edge at zero.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A figure on it needs 100 games at its rating and clock: short of that the answer reads a wider scope and says so, a table row shows only its count, and a map cell shows a dash. Under 1.0K games a figure is drawn faint, and never leads a list or counts as the best or worst place the line wins. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.