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Giuoco Piano
The Giuoco Piano begins after the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5. It is one of the oldest ways to play the Italian Game, and is a favourite of players who want natural development and a slow, strategic fight.
- For white
- Solid
- Positional
Written by:
The Essentials
- Early moves:
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5
- Colour:
- Played by White
- Style:
- Solid and positional
- Difficulty to learn:
- Easy
- Named after:
- The name is Italian for "quiet game".
- Trivia:
- The slowest line has a name of its own: Giuoco Pianissimo, the "very quiet game".
- Variations:
- Classical Variation. Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo. Greco Gambit, Modern Line. Greco Gambit, Traditional Line. Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack. Giuoco Pianissimo. 4. O-O.
- Good for:
- BlitzRapidClassical
Best suited for rating
400-2600
Why play the Giuoco Piano?
The Giuoco Piano is as solid as it gets.
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5, both sides develop a knight and a bishop towards the centre, and White can castle on the next move.
White builds up with c3 and d3 or d4, keeps a healthy pawn structure, and usually stays out of trouble in the opening phase.
White decides the pace. The Giuoco Pianissimo with d3 keeps the tension for a long manoeuvring game, while the Greco Gambit with d4 opens the centre at once.
The catch is that the same holds for Black. White is solid, but Black has no immediate weaknesses either, so there is little to attack early on.
At club level, the better strategic player usually wins these positions. At the highest level, the same solidity makes it harder to play for a win.
Try the Giuoco Piano yourself!
Why the Giuoco Piano is good with the:
Easy development - Every white piece has a natural square, and White can castle as early as move four.
Choice of pace - White picks between the slow d3 setups and the sharper d4, and both are fully sound.
Central ambition - Preparing d4 with c3 gives White the chance to build a pawn centre on d4 and e4.
Suited for - Patient players who like to build up slowly and outplay their opponent in the middlegame.
Why the Giuoco Piano is good with the white pieces
Easy development - Every white piece has a natural square, and White can castle as early as move four.
Choice of pace - White picks between the slow d3 setups and the sharper d4, and both are fully sound.
Central ambition - Preparing d4 with c3 gives White the chance to build a pawn centre on d4 and e4.
Suited for - Patient players who like to build up slowly and outplay their opponent in the middlegame.
Why the Giuoco Piano is good with the black pieces
No weaknesses - Black's pawns stay unbroken, and White has no early target to aim at.
Active bishop - The c5-bishop aims at f2, and it often stays on the a7-g1 diagonal well into the middlegame.
Easy to learn - Black can mirror White's setup with ...Nf6, ...d6 and ...O-O and reach a balanced position.
Suited for - Practical players who want a sound, symmetrical setup with plans that are easy to learn.
Strategy
Typical plans, pawn breaks, and key squares.
White's pawn breaks
White's breaks are d3-d4 and f2-f4, while a2-a4 and b2-b4 gain space on the queenside.
Black's pawn breaks
Black prepares ...d5 with ...c6, and can expand on the queenside with ...a6, ...a5 or ...c5.
Key squares
The centre squares d4, e4, d5 and e5 matter most, with f4 and f5 as the knights' targets.
The closed centre
Black secures the bishop on a7 with ...a6 or ...a5, develops with ...Be6, and brings the knight to g6 via e7.
Traps and tactics
Five traps every Giuoco Piano player should know.
Themes
The pin on f6
Bg5 is White's main kingside idea against a black king that has castled early, and breaking the pin with ...h6 at the wrong moment can cost material.
The long way round
Because the centre stays closed, both sides' knights have time for long journeys. White's goes via d2, f1 and g3, Black's via e7 and g6, and f5 and f4 are their targets.
The d4 question
White's whole setup aims at d3-d4. Pushed once it is prepared, it gains space in the centre, while pushed too early, it hands Black the e5-square and easy play.
Waiting game
Neither side has an early weakness, so a premature d4 or ...d5 only gives the opponent the easier game.
History
From the earliest opening records and Greco to the modern Pianissimo.
1500s
Quiet beginnings
Pedro Damiano records games with the Giuoco Piano, one of the oldest recorded openings in chess.
1600s
Greco's gambit
Gioachino Greco develops 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ and plays the sacrificial 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O.
1895
The magic rook
Wilhelm Steinitz beats Curt von Bardeleben at Hastings with a famous rook sacrifice on e7.
1900s
Spanish takeover
As defensive play improves, most masters move on to the Ruy Lopez, which promises White more long-term initiative.
1981
Very quiet indeed
The slow c3 and d3 lines take over, and Anatoly Karpov uses them twice against Viktor Korchnoi in the World Championship match.
2020s
Still pianissimo
Engines rate the main lines as balanced, but the Pianissimo stays an elite favourite, and Ian Nepomniachtchi chooses it against Magnus Carlsen in the 2021 World Championship match.
Model Games
Three games, from Hastings 1895 to the modern Pianissimo.
FAQ
The Giuoco Piano begins after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5. Both sides develop a bishop to an active diagonal, and White's main move is c3, preparing d4 now or later.
Yes. The plans are natural, both sides develop simply, and White rarely gets into trouble early. The main thing to learn is the handful of tactical traps around f7 and f2.
Yes. Engines rate the main lines as balanced, and both sides develop naturally. The danger is tactical, because several natural-looking moves in the first ten lose material at once.
Both sides develop quickly and aim a bishop at f7 and f2, the squares only the king defends. White then chooses between the quiet c3 and d3 setup and the sharper c3 and d4.
The Giuoco Pianissimo is the slow line 4. d3, or 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3. White defends e4 with a pawn and builds up with O-O, Re1 and h3, keeping the d4 break for later.
The Greco Gambit is the sharp line 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4. White either recaptures with 6. cxd4 and gets two pawns side by side in the centre, or plays 6. e5 first and attacks the f6-knight.
There is no single best line. Against 4. c3, Black usually plays 4... Nf6 and hits e4 at once. Against 4. d3, Black has several calm setups with ...Nf6, ...d6 and ...a6 or ...a5.
Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Levon Aronian, Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Ding Liren have all used it.
Choose the Ruy Lopez if you want a deep strategic opening that keeps long-term pressure on Black's centre. Choose the Giuoco Piano if you want simpler development, a solid structure, and fewer lines to learn.