Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Bayonet Attack
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Bf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. g4
The Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Bayonet Attack is a chess opening classified as ECO C54, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Bf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. g4. It is a line of the Italian Game. Black is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: −0.59 (Stockfish, depth 30; best line 12… h6 13. h4 Bd7 14. Qe2 c6 15. g5)
- ECO
- C54
- Moves
- 23 plies
- FEN
r1bqk2r/ppp1nppp/3p1b2/3P4/2B1R1P1/5N2/PP3P1P/R1BQ2K1 b kq - 0 12- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Bf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. g4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
16 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 44%, draw 12%, Black 44%). The strongest:
- GM Pablo Salinas Herrera (2514) – GM Dennis Wagner (2580) 1-0 · Titled Tue 22nd Nov Early · 2022-11-22
- GM Pablo Salinas Herrera (2514) – IM Alberto Barp (2367) 0-1 · Titled Tuesday 18th May · 2021-05-18
- FM Mohammad Hossein Darvishi (2319) – WIM Kalyani Sirin (2401) 1-0 · Titled Tue 22nd Sep 2026 · 2026-09-22
- FM Babageldi Annaberdiyev (2146) – GM Temur Kuybokarov (2549) 0-1 · 5th Mersin Open 2021 · 2021-11-16
- FM Ari Guz (2308) – Luca Albertini (2118) 1-0 · Titled Tue 16th Aug Early · 2022-08-16
Comes from
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Greco Gambit, Moeller-Therkatz Attack 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5
More Italian Game lines (all)
- Italian Game C50
- Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense C50
- Italian Game: Blackburne-Kostić Gambit C50
- Italian Game: Classical Variation, Albin Gambit C50
- Italian Game: Deutz Gambit C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (3… Bc5 4. d3) C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (5… d6 6. d3) C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (5. O-O O-O) C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo (5… O-O 6. d3) C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Canal Variation C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Dubois Variation C50
- Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation C50
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.