For White· 23 lines

Italian Game - Other 3rd moves after 2...Nc6 3.Bc4 (3...Nf6, 3...h6, 3...Be7, 3...f5)

Let's learn the rarer 3rd moves! Black has four tries here: 3...Nf6, 3...h6, 3...Be7 and 3...f5. We have a clear plan against each one. Let's begin with 1.e4.

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Main line

Scroll the moves: the board follows.

Key lines

The free lines of this chapter, each one trainable move by move.

  1. Main Line: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3
    Main Line

    … 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3

  2. 3...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Bc5 5. d4 exd4 6. c3 dxc3 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ Kf8 9. Qxc5+ d6 10. Qc4 Bg4 11. Nd4
    3...h6

    … 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Bc5 5. d4 exd4 6. c3 dxc3 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ Kf8 9. Qxc5+ d6 10. Qc4 Bg4 11. Nd4

  3. 3...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ng4 7. h3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Re1
    3...h6

    … 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ng4 7. h3 Ngxe5 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Re1

  4. 3...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Bc5 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Nc3
    3...h6

    … 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Bc5 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Nc3

  5. 3...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Be7 8. Nc3
    3...h6

    … 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Be7 8. Nc3

  6. 3...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Be7 9. Nc3
    3...h6

    … 3. Bc4 h6 4. O-O Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Nh7 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Be7 9. Nc3

  7. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 d6 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Bxd8 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bc5 Re8 10. Ng5
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 d6 5. dxe5 dxe5 6. Qxd8+ Bxd8 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Bc5 Re8 10. Ng5

  8. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 d6 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qxe5 Nf6 9. Bh6
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 d6 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qxe5 Nf6 9. Bh6

  9. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 dxc3 6. Nxc3 d6 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Bxf7+
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 dxc3 6. Nxc3 d6 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Bxf7+

  10. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 Nf6 6. e5 Ng4 7. cxd4 d5 8. Bb3 O-O 9. Nc3
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 Nf6 6. e5 Ng4 7. cxd4 d5 8. Bb3 O-O 9. Nc3

  11. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qxb7 Ne5 9. Nxd4 Nf6 10. Nxe6 Qc8 11. Qxa8
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qxb7 Ne5 9. Nxd4 Nf6 10. Nxe6 Qc8 11. Qxa8

  12. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qxb7 Ne5 9. Nxd4 Rb8 10. Qxa7 Qc8 11. Qa4+ Qd7 12. Qxd7+ Kxd7 13. Ke2
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qxb7 Ne5 9. Nxd4 Rb8 10. Qxa7 Qc8 11. Qa4+ Qd7 12. Qxd7+ Kxd7 13. Ke2

  13. 3...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Na5 7. Bxf7+ Kf8 8. Qa3 Kxf7 9. Qxa5 Nf6 10. e5 dxe5 11. Nxe5+ Kg8 12. O-O
    3...Be7

    … 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. c3 d6 6. Qb3 Na5 7. Bxf7+ Kf8 8. Qa3 Kxf7 9. Qxa5 Nf6 10. e5 dxe5 11. Nxe5+ Kg8 12. O-O

  14. 3...f5: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. exd6 Qxd6 7. O-O
    3...f5

    … 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. exd6 Qxd6 7. O-O

  15. 3...f5: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Qh4 7. O-O
    3...f5

    … 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Qh4 7. O-O

  16. 3...f5: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 d5 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. Qxg6+ Kd7 11. Qf5+ Ke8 12. Qe5+ Qe7 13. Qxh8 Qf7 14. Nc3
    3...f5

    … 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 d5 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. Qxg6+ Kd7 11. Qf5+ Ke8 12. Qe5+ Qe7 13. Qxh8 Qf7 14. Nc3

  17. 3...f5: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 d5 6. Bb5 Qd6 7. c4 a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O Nf6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Bf4 Qe6 12. Qa4
    3...f5

    … 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 d5 6. Bb5 Qd6 7. c4 a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O Nf6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Bf4 Qe6 12. Qa4

  18. 4...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O d6 6. a4 Bg4 7. c3
    4...Be7

    … 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O d6 6. a4 Bg4 7. c3

  19. 4...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O d6 6. a4 O-O 7. Re1 Be6 8. Nbd2 Qd7 9. c3
    4...Be7

    … 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O d6 6. a4 O-O 7. Re1 Be6 8. Nbd2 Qd7 9. c3

  20. 4...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Be6 8. Nbd2 Qd7 9. c3
    4...Be7

    … 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Be6 8. Nbd2 Qd7 9. c3

  21. 4...Be7: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Bg4 8. c3
    4...Be7

    … 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Bg4 8. c3

  22. 4...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6 6. c3 g5 7. Nbd2
    4...h6

    … 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6 6. c3 g5 7. Nbd2

  23. 4...h6: position after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3
    4...h6

    … 4. d3 h6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3

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Learn Other 3rd moves after 2...Nc6 3.Bc4 (3...Nf6, 3...h6, 3...Be7, 3...f5) on the board

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