Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bc4/3...Bc5/4. d4

Italian Gambit
a b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) r1bqk1nr/pppp1ppp/2n5/2b1p3/2BPP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R b
Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d4

Italian Gambit

4.d4

White sacrifices the d-pawn in order to open lines for their pieces and develop faster. The gambit is considered unsound but it's not bad. Black has 3 ways to capture the pawn:

4…exd4 transposes into Haxo Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5).

4…Nxd4 is playable but allows White to play 5. Nxe5 with pressure on f7, or the venomous 5. b4. But, if Black knows what's he doing, this move is surprisingly strong.

4…Bxd4 is the calmest line and probably the strongest one. Play tends to continue 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Be3 Nc6.

Theory table

.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4

	4	5	6
	d4 Bxd4	Nxd4 Nxd4	O-O d6	=
Scotch Gambit	... exd4			=

References

Wikipedia has related information at Italian Gambit.

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.

v · t · e

Chess Opening Theory

1. e4 e5
Open games

2. Nf3

2...Nc6

3. Bb5
Spanish

• Berlin →
  • Anti-Berlin
  • Beverwijk
  • L'Hermet → Berlin Wall

• Morphy →
  • Exchange
  • Closed →
    • Marshall
    • Chigorin
    • Flohr
  • Open
  • Arkhangelsk
  • Anderssen
  • Mackenzie

• Bird
• Classical
• Cozio
• Old Steinitz
• Schliemann

3. Bc4
Italian

• Giuoco Piano →
  • Evans gambit
  • Giuoco pianissimo
  • Rosentreter
  • Jerome ??

• Two knights defence →
  • Open
  • Knight attack →
    • Fried liver
    • Polerio

• Anti-fried liver ?!
• Blackburne shilling ?

3. Nc3
Three knights

• Four knights →
  • Glek
  • Italian
  • Scotch → Belgrade
  • Spanish
  • Naroditsky !?
  • Halloween ?!

• Steinitz
• Schlechter

Other

• Ponziani
• Scotch game
• Konstantinopolsky !?

2...Nf6
Russian

• Classical
• Kholmov
• Modern
• Boden-Kieseritzky !?
• Stafford ?
• Damiano trap ??

2...d6
Philidor

• Exchange
• Philidor countergambit
• Nimzowitsch
• Hanham

Other

• Busch-Gass gambit ?
• Elephant gambit ?
• Greco defence ?!
• Latvian gambit ?
• Damiano defence ??

2. f4
King's gambit

2...exf4
Accepted

• King's knight →
  • Kieseritzky
  • Schallop
  • Modern
  • Fischer
  • Lolli ?
  • Muzio ?
• Bishop's →
  • Cozio

Other
Declined

• Classical
• Queen's knight
• Falkbeer

2. Nc3
Vienna

• Falkbeer →
  • Mieses
  • Stanley
  • Frankenstein-Dracula
  • Vienna gambit
• Max Lange

Other

• Bishop's opening →
  • Berlin
  • Boi
• Centre game →
  • Danish
• Leonardis
• Parham ?!
• Portuguese ?!
• Bongcloud ?

1. e4 c5
Sicilian

2. Nf3

2...Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• Accelerated dragon →
  • Maróczy bind
• Classical
• Godiva
• Kalashnikov
• Sveshnikov

2...Nc6 other

• Rossolimo
• Delayed Alapin

2...d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• Dragon →
  • Levenfish attack
  • Yugoslav attack
• Dragondorf
• Kupreichik
• Najdorf →
  • 6. Bg5
  • English attack
  • Opocensky
• Scheveningen

2...d6 other

• Moscow
• Chekhover
• Delayed Alapin

2...e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4

• French, Normal
  • American attack
  • Four knights
  • Pin
• Kan
• Kveinis
• Paulsen-Basman
• Taimanov →
  • Bastrikov →
    • English attack
  • Szén →
    • Garry Gambit

2...e6 other

• Kramnik
• Delayed Alapin

Others

• Hyper-accelerated dragon
• Katalymov
• Nimzowitsch
• O'Kelly

Anti-Sicilians

• Alapin
• Bowdler
• Closed Sicilian →
  • Carlsen
  • Grand Prix
  • Fianchetto
• McDonnell
• Mengarini
• Smith-Morra
• Snyder
• Staunton-Cochrane
• Wing gambit

1. e4 e6
French

• Advance
• Classical
• Exchange
• Tarrasch
• Rubinstein
• Winawer

1. e4 c6
Caro-Kann

• Classical
• Advance →
  • Short
  • van der Wiel
• Exchange
• Panov-Botvinnik Attack
• Accelerated Panov
• Two Knights
• Fantasy
• Hillbilly ?!

1. e4 other

• Alekhine
• Czech
• Modern
• Nimzowitsch
• Owen's
• Pirc →
  • Lion
  • Austrian
  • 150
• Scandinavian →
  • Classical
  • Modern
  • Blackburne-Kloosterbooer gambit !?
  • Tennison gambit ?!

• Barnes ?
• Borg ?
• Corn stalk ??
• Duras ??
• 1...b5 ??

1. d4 d5
Closed games

2. c4
Queen's gambit

• Albin countergambit
• Austrian
• Chigorin
• Marshall
• Queen's gambit accepted
• Queen's gambit declined
• Slav →
  • Semi-Slav

2. Nc3

• Richter-Versov
• Irish gambit
• Jobava London

2. other

• Accelerated London
• Colle
• Levitsky !?
• Amazon ?!
• Blackmar-Diemer ?
• Mason ?
• Zurich ??

1. d4 Nf6
Indian

2. c4 e6

• Bogo-Indian
• Catalan
• Nimzo-Indian
• Queen's Indian
• Seirawan
• Devin gambit !?

2. c4 g6

• King's Indian →
  • Classical
  • Four pawns attack
  • Sämisch
• Grünfeld

2. c4 other

• Accelerated queen's Indian
• Modern Benoni →
  • Benko
• Budapest
• Mexican
• Old Indian

2. Nf3

• Spielmann Indian
• Torre

2. other:

• Trompowsky →
  • Edge
  • Raptor
• London system (Indian)
• Paleface ?!
• Bronstein gambit !?
• Omega ?

1. d4 f5
Dutch

• Hopton
• Korchnoi
• Leningrad
• Staunton
• Stonewall →
  • Bladel

1. d4 ...other:

• English defence
• Australian defence ?!
• Englund gambit ?
• Horwitz
• Old Benoni
• Polish
• Rat

1. Nf3
Zukertort

• Réti
• King's Indian defence (d5)
• King's Indian defence (Nf6)
• Lisitsin gambit !?
• Lemberger gambit ?
• Ross gambit ?
• Herrstrom gambit ?

Flank

• Bird's (1. f4)
• English (1. c4)
• Grob (1. g4)
• King's fianchetto (1.g3)
• Larsen (1. b3)

Unorthodox

• a3
• Na3
• a4
• b4
• c3
• Nc3
• d3
• e3
• f3
• h3
• Nh3
• h4