Classical 3...Bc5
Play 4.c3 and 5.d4. The main line meets ...Bb4+ with Bd2, exchanges once, and is ready for Black's freeing ...d5. A sharper Nc3 branch and the bishop retreat to b6 are trained separately.
Italian Game repertoire: build the center before you attack
The Italian Game begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. This White repertoire uses c3 and d4 against the classical 3...Bc5, while choosing the controlled 4.d3 against the Two Knights Defense. You get active, principled play without having to memorize the full Fried Liver maze.
- 11 legal, extended branches averaging more than 20 plies.
- The trainer opens on the classical 3...Bc5, c3-d4 main line.
- Separate defenses against ...Nd4, ...f5, ...d6, ...h6 and ...Be7.
The three decisions
- 3...Bc5: claim the center with c3 and d4.
- 3...Nf6: secure e4 with d3, then castle and prepare d4.
- A slow Black move: use the extra tempo in the center.
Pressure on f7 is a consequence of better development—not permission to sacrifice automatically.
The repertoire map
Two Knights 3...Nf6
Play 4.d3. Castle, add c3 and Re1, and route the queen's knight through d2 and f1. This protects e4 and avoids the common ...Nxe4 followed by ...d5 fork motif.
Deviations and traps
Meet early ...Be7, ...d6 and ...h6 with central play. Decline the Blackburne Shilling bait after ...Nd4, and build a sound center against the Rousseau ...f5 rather than relying on a counter-trap.
The classical line opens first
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 is the repertoire's starting branch. The point is not to win by force. White uses a small lead in development to establish the center; Black's best counterplay is the timely ...d5 break.
After 7...Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 d5, resolve the center and castle. The d2-knight can later support e4 or reach useful central squares. The trainer also includes 7.Nc3, but labels it as the tactical alternative because it permits ...Nxe4 and demands more calculation.
Why this repertoire uses d3 against the Two Knights
Several supplied lessons distinguish Black's two main third moves. Against ...Bc5 they recommend c3-d4; against ...Nf6 they repeatedly recommend 4.d3 as the lower-theory route. Other lessons advocate 4.d4 or 4.Ng5, so there is no single unanimous video repertoire.
This course chooses d3 for coherence. White protects e4, castles, plays c3 and Re1, then prepares d4 with every piece ready. Nbd2-f1-g3 is a recurring manoeuvre. It points the knight toward the kingside but still serves the central break.
Popularity, advantage and engine use
The broad ordering comes from source agreement: ...Bc5 and ...Nf6 are the main defensive families, with ...Be7, ...d6, ...h6, ...Nd4 and ...f5 treated as deviations. We do not publish invented popularity percentages.
This release does not rank branches by Stockfish score. A tiny centipawn difference at shallow depth is less useful to a learner than a stable plan that appears across multiple lessons. The trainer still offers engine feedback for position review. In particular, the course omits a speculative fish-pole sacrifice from one video after the lesson itself notes that the engine evaluates the resulting position as winning for Black.
Practical warnings
Do not grab the Blackburne bait
After 3...Nd4, taking e5 can expose f2. Castle, challenge the knight, and return to c3-d4 development.
Do not play Nc3 automatically
Against the Two Knights, an early Nc3 can allow ...Nxe4 and ...d5 with a fork. The repertoire starts with d3.
Do not force a kingside sacrifice
Bg5, Ng5 and pressure on f7 are position-dependent. Finish development and compare Black's central counterplay first.
Video lessons used for this repertoire
Daniel Naroditsky
The clearest move-by-move source for the classical c3-d4 center and Black's ...d5 response.
Watch The Italian Game
ChessWithAkeem
Extended practical coverage of c3-d4 against ...Bc5 and d3 against ...Nf6.
Watch How I Master the Italian Game
Watch the Free Elo lesson
Eric Rosen
Classical central tactics, bishop retreats and practical slow-Italian corrections.
Watch Early Tactics
Watch Attacking the Italian
Watch Intense Italians
GM Igor Smirnov
A map of major variations, including the Blackburne Shilling and Rousseau deviations, plus useful warnings about theory-heavy play.
Watch All Variations Explained
Alessia Santeramo
A compact overview of the quiet Italian, the Nbd2-f1-g3 route and the eventual d4 break.
Watch Learn the Italian Game in 30 Minutes
Train the Italian Game with Free Chess Trainer
- Open the Trainer; the classical c3-d4 line is selected first.
- Work through the 11 source-backed branches as White.
- Connect each move to development, the central break or a concrete tactical warning.
- Repeat missed branches until the move order and plan both feel familiar.