The Italian Renaissance I: Move Orders, Tricks and Alternatives

With the seemingly bulletproof Berlin Wall and Marshall Attack continuing to thwart White’s best efforts to find an advantage in the Ruy Lopez, many top chess players have incorporated the Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) along with the related Bishop’s Opening (2.Bc4) into their repertoires. GM Martyn Kravtsiv shares his insights on The Italian Renaissance from White’s perspective.

The first topic is the Bishop’s Opening, which can be used as an Anti-Petroff move order as well as a weapon in its own right. 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 may or may not transpose to the main Italian lines, and it is useful to have it in your arsenal in order to choose the most effective sequence against each opponent.

Next is the more popular 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3. Before reaching the Italian, White must be ready to deal with the Petroff Defence (2…Nf6). Kravtsiv advocates the well-regarded 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 variation, offering an array of weapons to cause problems for Black, including a large number of untested yet dangerous ideas.

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