I Analyzed 100+ Games In The Italian... This Is What I Learnt:

A while ago I wrote a blog about the Benoni structure, and the response was amazing! So many of you enjoyed that study that I decided to make a similar one on another structure, and this time I chose the Italian.

It's one of the most popular openings at club level, but it has a reputation for being slow and boring. After this week, I can tell you that reputation is completely undeserved!

Just like with the Benoni, I went through over 100 games and compiled my own ideas. I ended up with 22 specific ideas for White and 35 interactive exercises.

This time I've made two studies.

First off, I've made a public study containing a handful of chapters with fundamential opening theory: How to play the Italian

Then (one of my favorite studies I've made btw) can only be accessed by becoming free member on my Patreon: ZigZag's Chess Library

You don't have to pay anything, I'm just trying to build up a community where I can post exclusive high level studies for my loyal readers :D

The 3 Core Plans

In the Italian, White has 3 main plans that almost every idea is based on:

1. Improve the b1-knight

By playing c2-c3, we take away the knight's most natural square, so it has to find another way into the game. The most common route is Nb1-d2-f1-g3, where the knight protects the e4-pawn and eyes the f5-square. But depending on the position, it can also find a great home on e3, c2, b5 or c4. Knowing which square fits which position is a big part of playing the Italian well.

All the highlighted squares are common destinations for the b1-knight.

2. Break with d3-d4

This is the main point of c2-c3. The d3-d4 break opens lines for our pieces and grabs space in the center. Timing is everything, though: if Black is ready to strike back with ...d6-d5, the break can backfire. That's why so many of White's quiet moves, like rerouting the bishop to c2 or the knight to g3, are really just preparation for this push.

This is what an ideal Italian setup might look like.

3. Grab space on the queenside

The c3-pawn also prepares b2-b4 and a2-a4, gaining tempi on Black's c5-bishop, which is surprisingly short on squares. Black often prepares with ...a7-a6 to give it room or ...a7-a5 to stop b2-b4 altogether.

We have more space on the queenside to improve our pieces with moves like Qd1-b3, Nb1-d2-c4, Ra1-a2, Bc1-a3 etc.

If they stop our queenside advancement with ...a5, they weaken the b5-square, which our bishop or knight can later use.

A knight on b5 helps prepare d3-d4 while also being a bit of a nuisance. Meanwhile, a bishop on b5 puts immediate pressure on c6, making ...d5 difficult to achieve because it undermines Black’s control of e5 (a pawn otherwise guarded by that knight).

The Other 20+ Ideas

The three plans I showed in this blog are just the surface level. If you want to actually learn how to play the Italian, here's where to go next:

My in-depth study covers 20+ ideas with 35+ interactive exercises. To access it, join my Patreon completely for free:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/zigzags_chess_library

---

If you found this useful, please leave a like, it helps a lot ❤️