Exeter Chess Club: Openings\Ital_ToC.html

Version with picture diagrams

  1. Introduction
    1. The trouble with the Giuoco Piano (is the Giuoco Pianissimo)
  2. Basic ideas in the Italian Game
    1. All the basic ideas: White,R - Al Marif,S [C51 Evans' Gambit] (London LB), 1990
  3. Ideas mainly for White
    1. Develop rapidly and take over the centre
      1. The raid with central pawns: Boleslavsky - Scitov [C54 Giuoco Piano] (Moscow) 1933
      2. The raid with central pawns: Morphy,Paul - Laroche,H [Evans' Gambit, C52] Paris, 1859
      3. The raid with central pawns: Morphy,Paul(bl_sim) - Cunningham [Giuoco Piano, C54] London, 1859
      4. Central advantage: Bastian,Herbert - Eng,Holger (10) [Giuoco Piano, C54] Bad Neuenahr ch-DE, 1984
    2. Catch the Black King in the middle
      1. The King caught in the middle (and Central advantage): Morphy - Hampton, H [Evans' Gambit, C52] (London) 1858
      2. King caught in the middle: Fischer - Fine RH [Evans' Gambit, C52] (New York) 1963
      3. King caught in the middle: Anderssen,Adolf - Dufresne,J [Evans' Gambit, C52] Berlin 'Evergreen', 1852
      4. King caught in the middle: Romero Holmes,Alfonse - Estremera Panos,Serg [Giuoco Piano, C54] Leon, 1989
    3. The King's-side attack.
      1. King's-side attack: Morphy,Paul - Amateur [Giuoco Piano, C51] London, 1858
      2. Littlewood - Paish (Blindfold)1993
      3. King's-side attack: Euwe,Max - O'Hanlon,John [Giuoco Piano, C54] Hastings, 1919
      4. The Fried Liver raid: Morphy,Paul(bl_sim) - Forde,A [Evans' Gambit, C52] New Orleans, 1858
    4. The Queen's-side attack.
      1. Move to the Queen's-side: Szecsi - Szarka [Giuoco Piano, C54] cr, 1987
  4. Ideas for Black
    1. Hit back with ...d5
      1. Black hits back with ...d5: Marache,N - Morphy,Paul [Evans' Gambit, C52] New York, 1857
      2. Black hits back with ...d5: Treiber,Timo - Kurz,Ralf (07) [Giuoco Piano, C54] Baden Baden, 1990
    2. Catch the White King in the middle
      1. Black catches the King in the middle: Noa,Josef - Kopylov [Evans' Gambit, C52] Leningrad, 1937
    3. Counterattack on the White King's-side
      1. Black's King's-side counterattack: Mongredien,A - Morphy,Paul (07) [Evans' Gambit, C52] Paris m, 1859
      2. Black's King's-side counterattack: Saint Amant - Morphy,Paul [Giuoco Piano, C54] Paris, 1858
    4. Black's chances in the endgame
      1. Black's endgame chances: Hammond,G - Morphy,Paul [Giuoco Piano, C54] New York, 1857
    5. Some traps in the Italian Game
      1. A poor line for White in the Closed Variation of the Giuoco Piano
      2. Another trap in the Closed Variation of the Giuoco Piano
      3. Trap in the Main Line of the Giuoco Piano with 6. O-O
      4. Trap in the Main Line of the Giuoco Piano with 6. O-O
      5. Trap in the Main Line of the Giuoco Piano with 6. O-O
      6. Trap in the Main Line of the Giuoco Piano with 6. cxd4
      7. Trap in the Moller Attack
      8. Bernstein's Trap in the Moller Attack
  5. Some Variations in the Italian Game
    1. A. Main line Guioco Piano 4. c3
      1. Risky main line 7. Nc3
        1. Black avoids the Moller
          1. Bernstein's line: greedy 9...Bxc3
          2. Bernstein: the safer 9... d5
        2. Moller attack
      2. Safe main line 7. Bd2
      3. The closed variation 4...Bb6
    2. Evans' Gambit 4. b4
      1. Evans' Gambit Declined (4...Bb6)
      2. Evans' Gambit Accepted (4...Bxb4)
        1. Evans' Gambit with 5... Bc5
        2. Evans' Gambit with 5..Be7
      3. Kasparov, Gary-Anand, Viswanathan, Riga 1993
        1. Evans' Gambit with 5... Ba5
          1. Lasker's Defence with 7... Qe7
          2. Lasker's Defence with 7... Nxd4
          3. Lasker's Defence with 7... Qd7
  6. Appendix 1. Why is it called "Italian"?
  7. Appendix 2. Oh, if you must... some ideas for playing the Giuoco Pianissimo
    1. Regis (Exeter) - Orpwood (Salford), 1987.
    2. A trap in the Giuoco Pianissimo
    3. Another trap in the Giuoco Pianissimo
    4. One more trap in the Giuoco Pianissimo