Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 b5
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit is a chess opening classified as ECO C52, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 b5. It is a line of the Italian Game. White is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 19 times by this move order. White won 79%, 0% were drawn and Black won 21%. The most popular continuation is 7. Bxb5 (79% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.20 (Stockfish, depth 48; best line 7. Bxb5 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. O-O Ne7)
- ECO
- C52
- Moves
- 12 plies
- FEN
r1bqk1nr/p1pp1ppp/2n5/bp2p3/2BPP3/2P2N2/P4PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 7- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 b5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 9 | |
| 2000+ | 10 | |
| All | 19 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Bxb5 | 15 (79%) | |
| 7. Bd5 | 3 (16%) | |
| 7. Bxf7+ | 1 (5%) |
Master games
49 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 37%, draw 20%, Black 43%). The strongest:
- GM Alan Pichot (2638) – GM Pentala Harikrishna (2704) 1/2-1/2 · ChessKid Cup Div 3 W · 2023-05-26
- GM Pranesh M (2561) – GM Valentin Dragnev (2554) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tue 25th Jun Early · 2024-06-25
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – IM Thomas Beerdsen (2513) 1-0 · Titled Tue 16th Aug Early · 2022-08-16
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – IM Dominik Horvath (2446) 1-0 · Titled Tuesday 15th Dec · 2020-12-15
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – FM Oleksii Bilych (2365) 0-1 · Titled Tue 2nd Aug Late · 2022-08-02
Search all games of the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM MrSuccess (2691) – Nechto37 (2504) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- douglasabreu (2298) – Wyssegga (2392) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 2s
- CM jamaladam (2157) – D2MK2 (2243) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5
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.