Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
7.0M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 7.0M games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 7.0M games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 7.0M
- Best context
- 56.6% at 0-999 Classical
- Worst context
- 46.0% at 2000-2199 Classical
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 53.7%.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.6% expected score (578 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (100,094 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (195,272 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (180,656 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 56.6% expected score (1,659 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 49.2% expected score (1,230 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (189,626 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (393,200 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (258,585 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 53.1% expected score (6,212 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.9% expected score (1,342 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (263,332 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (624,347 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (342,708 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 52.3% expected score (13,245 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 51.9% expected score (1,175 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (294,640 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (778,963 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.0% expected score (382,585 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 53.2% expected score (20,440 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 44.9% expected score (360 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (275,507 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (797,269 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (334,182 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.9% expected score (17,146 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 42.8% expected score (109 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (210,214 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (588,457 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (206,374 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.3% expected score (6,756 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 46.0% expected score (23 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (116,863 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (220,825 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (59,935 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 46.0% expected score (1,109 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.6% expected score (53,383 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 48.9% expected score (41,714 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (8,454 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 45.5% expected score (130 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (14,490 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.2% expected score (6,428 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (1,073 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (235 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano scores 51.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.1% and 51.2% — from 7.0M Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 7.0M+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 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.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate?
Playing the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano, Black wins 49.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 7.0M rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano perform best?
The Italian Game: Giuoco Piano performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 52.4% (478K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 50.9% in Blitz (3.6M games) against 51.3% in Rapid (1.8M games).
How sharp is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano?
The Italian Game: Giuoco Piano has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, Black wins 50.6%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 478K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 49.9%, draws 3.3% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 849K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 49.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 1.2M Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.5%, draws 3.5% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 1.5M Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 48.7%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 1.4M Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 48.3%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 1.0M Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 48.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 399K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 47.4%, draws 5.4% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 104K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 22.6%, draws 50.1% and loses 27.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 22K Lichess games, which average 50 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, Black wins 50.0%, draws 0.9% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 4.8K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 49.7%, draws 2.8% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 1.5M Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 48.9%, draws 4.0% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 3.6M Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 49.0%, draws 4.6% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 1.8M Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 49.6%, draws 5.4% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 67K Lichess games.
Is the Italian Game: Giuoco Piano a good opening?
The Italian Game: Giuoco Piano is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 49.1% of its games and loses 47.0%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.