Giuoco PianoC50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5. Both bishops come out and point at the other side's weak square: White's at f7, Black's at f2. Giuoco Piano is Italian for "the quiet game".

Its full name in the Lichess list is Italian Game: Giuoco Piano.

Move by move

3... Bc5: bishop to c 5

White: e4, pawn to e 4.
Black: e5, pawn to e 5.
White: Nf3, knight to f 3.
Black: Nc6, knight to c 6.
White: Bc4, bishop to c 4.
Black: Bc5, bishop to c 5.

What each side wants

⚪ White: Play c3 and then d4 to build a big pawn middle, or play d3 and keep it calm and slow.

⚫ Black: Bring the other knight out to f6, castle, and watch that your c5 bishop never gets trapped by pawns.

Black made the last move, so after this it is White's turn.

You will also hear it called the quiet game.

Three things every opening does

The Giuoco Piano follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.

Try it

Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:

Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked 31 October 2026. The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.