← All openings

Italian Game
Intermediatewhite repertoire·5 parts
One of the oldest openings. White develops the bishop to its most aggressive square, targeting f7 — the weakest square in Black's position.
Main idea
Castle, then play c3 and d4 to build a pawn centre.
Aim your pieces at f7 — Black's weakest square, guarded only by the king — with the bishop on c4, the queen behind it on b3, and a knight jumping into g5.
…
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Start
Key Strategic Ideas
First, the six ideas behind every Modern Italian line. Once they click, the lines feel logical instead of memorised.