Chess opening · ECO C50
Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
Here Black answers the Italian bishop with 3...h6, a little pawn step that takes the g5 square away from White's knight and dark-squared bishop. It rules out the early Ng5 lunge at f7 before it can start. The price is time: Black has developed one piece, and White gets a free move to build a center with d4 or c3 and d4.
- Rank by weighted share
- #87 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6
- 3. Bc4The bishop lands on c4 and looks straight at f7, the one square near Black's king that only the king itself protects. A knight jump to g5 would put a second attacker on it, which is the threat Black's next move is built around.
- 3... h6The h6 pawn now covers g5, so neither the f3 knight nor the c1 bishop can settle there. Black's g8 knight is still at home and the f8 bishop has not moved, so the move buys safety on f7 at the cost of development.
Spending the extra move on d4
With Black a tempo behind, White's natural reply is to open the center at once. After 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O, White castles first and lets the black pawn on d4 wait, planning to win it back or push e5 against a knight that arrives on f6.
A slower route uses c3 first, so that d4 can be met by a pawn recapture and White keeps two pawns in the middle. Either way White uses the tempo Black spent on h6 to claim space before Black finishes developing.
Where the h6 pawn helps Black later
The move is not wasted in every position. If Black castles kingside, the king gets an escape square on h7, and a white bishop cannot pin the f6 knight from g5 without being taken. Black can also play ...Bc5 and ...d6 without worrying about a knight hopping in to hit f7.
Meeting d4 with a central strike
4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nf6 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. Nxd4
White kicks the f6 knight with e5, and Black hits back with ...d5, gaining time on the c4 bishop. The black knight finds a forward post on e4 while White recovers the pawn on d4 and keeps pressure on the c6 knight.
Top replies by rating
Nc3 leads among players under 1200, but d4 tops every band from 1200 up. From 1800, c3 replaces Nc3 in the top three.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nc3 35% | d4 27% | d3 17% |
| 1200–1399 | d4 31% | Nc3 18% | O-O 17% |
| 1400–1599 | d4 27% | O-O 20% | Nc3 18% |
| 1600–1799 | d4 25% | O-O 22% | Nc3 18% |
| 1800–1999 | d4 34% | O-O 20% | c3 17% |
| 2000 and up | d4 42% | O-O 25% | c3 19% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.