GIUOCO PIANO

     The GIUOCO PIANO (known outside the English-Speaking world as the"Italian Game") is a fifteenth-century opening that has stood the test of time.The name means quiet, or mid, game in contrast to various gambits White can play.Yet this is misleading, as the type of game that arises depends on the temperament of the players involved.If White is an exponent of hand-to-hand combat he plays lines like the Moller Attack, trying to blast throught the centre.Those seeking quiet positional manoeuvres prefer the lines with d3 and c3, postponing agressive action until the middle game.Many of the world's best players use the opening occasionally, and several Grand Masters, such as Kudrin, use it routinely, in preference to the Ruy Lopez.

GIUOCO PIANO:

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