Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hicken Variation
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Qg5 7. Qf3 Qxe5 8. Qxf7+ Kd8 9. Bb2
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hicken Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO C51, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Qg5 7. Qf3 Qxe5 8. Qxf7+ Kd8 9. Bb2. 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: −1.52 (Stockfish, depth 32; best line 9… Qxe4+ 10. Kd1 Qe7 11. Qxg7 Nxc4 12. Qxe7+)
- ECO
- C51
- Moves
- 17 plies
- FEN
r1bk2nr/pppp1Qpp/1b6/nP2q3/2B1P3/8/PBPP1PPP/RN2K2R b KQ - 2 9- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Qg5 7. Qf3 Qxe5 8. Qxf7+ Kd8 9. Bb2
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Comes from
Italian Game: Evans Gambit Declined, Hirschbach Variation 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. b5 Na5 6. Nxe5 Qg5
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.