Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5
The Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line 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. It is a line of the Italian Game. White is to move. 5 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 2,781 times by this move order. White won 51%, 3% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 6. d4 (72% of games).
Engine evaluation: 0.00 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. O-O Bb6)
- ECO
- C52
- Moves
- 10 plies
- FEN
r1bqk1nr/pppp1ppp/2n5/b3p3/2B1P3/2P2N2/P2P1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 1 6- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 336 | |
| 1500-1999 | 1,762 | |
| 2000+ | 683 | |
| All | 2,781 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 6. d4 | 2,016 (72%) | |
| 6. O-O Evans Gambit, Slow Variation | 425 (15%) | |
| 6. Qb3 | 299 (11%) | |
| 6. Ba3 | 27 (1%) | |
| 6. d3 | 4 (0%) | |
| 6. Qa4 | 3 (0%) | |
| 6. Bb2 | 2 (0%) | |
| 6. Ng5 | 2 (0%) |
Master games
100 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 40%, draw 15%, Black 45%). The strongest:
- GM Peter Svidler (2683) – GM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (2731) 0-1 · Vidit-Svidler Blitz 2023 · 2023-06-06
- GM Vladimir Fedoseev (2674) – GM Arman Mikaelyan (2485) 1-0 · PNWCC WOW Open · 2020-12-28
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – GM Victor Mikhalevski (2552) 1-0 · Titled Tuesday 23rd Feb · 2021-02-23
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – GM Alexander Moskalenko (2515) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tuesday 16th Mar · 2021-03-16
- IM Juraj Druska (2457) – GM Levente Vajda (2596) 1/2-1/2 · TCh-SVK 2016-17 · 2016-10-23
Search all games of the Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Kruciatos (2709) – Chess1Love0 (2770) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- FM The_Fawkes (2644) – Kruciatos (2685) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- ArabChess48 (2574) – NameTheGame (2710) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4
Continuations
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation C52 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. O-O
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Bronstein Defense C52 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Laroche Variation C52 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 Nf6
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Leonhardt Countergambit C52 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 b5
- Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense C52 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4
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.