Answers.Body: <p>This is a well-known line of the Giuoco Pianissimo. According to the Chessbase app, the position has been reached over 2200 times.</p>
  <p>The position is usually reached by playing 4. d3 first, then 5. c3, which may be why you're not finding much online.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-08T18:50:00.697Z
Answers.Text: Thank you so much.  I see now that my game is Giuoco Pianissimo Bird’s Attack.  And the answer is what I suspected:  after White a4, Black must go either a6 or a5 (or else Black loses his bishop and the game).  But then White has no advantage, which is why the Bird’s Attack is rarely used by good players.  I am a little surprised, however, that no one has mentioned that for low-level players, it is hard for Black to find a6 or a5, which is why I usually beat the 1500 bot easily.  Thanks again.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jim Stinehart
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-09T02:01:02.903Z
Answers.Text: I feel like the attack on the bishop is slightly less obvious if you play a4 *before* playing b4, and the lichess player statistics seem to indicate that it is the case; after a4 Black only plays a5, a6, or Bb6 about 63% of the time, while after b4 Bb6 a4 they'll play a5 or a6 95% of the time. (In the master database it's 100% either way, of course.) Against a bot that order might matter less, though.
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-08T04:02:23.650Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-12-08T04:02:23.650Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Herb
Body: <p>I have played dozens, if not hundreds, of games against a computer using a variant of the Italian Game opening.  I am shocked that I cannot find anything on the Internet about this variant.  Am I (as white) doing something terribly wrong?  Is Black?  This is similar to the famous Evans Gambit, but it is not a gambit at all.</p>
  <pre><code>[Event &quot;?&quot;]
  [Site &quot;?&quot;]
  [Date &quot;????.??.??&quot;]
  [Round &quot;?&quot;]
  [White &quot;?&quot;]
  [Black &quot;?&quot;]
  [Result &quot;*&quot;]
  [FEN &quot;&quot;]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.b4 Bb6 7.a4 *
  </code></pre>
  <p>Most times the computer misses the only good move by black here, in which case I trap the black bishop and win the game.<br />
  The only good move by black is:  pawn to a5.  Now I cannot trap the black bishop, and the game is even.
  Why isn’t this sequence on the Internet?  What am I missing?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2024-12-08T14:27:19.310Z
Comments.Text: "Why isn't this sequence on the Internet" -- could you mention where you have looked? Maybe people can explain where to find such things.
Comments.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Tags: <opening><italian-game>
Title: Italian Game opening variant
ThreadText: # Italian Game opening variant
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-07)
  
  I have played dozens, if not hundreds, of games against a computer using a variant of the Italian Game opening.  I am shocked that I cannot find anything on the Internet about this variant.  Am I (as white) doing something terribly wrong?  Is Black?  This is similar to the famous Evans Gambit, but it is not a gambit at all.
  [Event "?"]
  [Site "?"]
  [Date "????.??.??"]
  [Round "?"]
  [White "?"]
  [Black "?"]
  [Result "*"]
  [FEN ""]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.b4 Bb6 7.a4 *
  
  Most times the computer misses the only good move by black here, in which case I trap the black bishop and win the game.
  The only good move by black is:  pawn to a5.  Now I cannot trap the black bishop, and the game is even.
  Why isn’t this sequence on the Internet?  What am I missing?
  
  **Tags:** opening, italian-game
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: "Why isn't this sequence on the Internet" -- could you mention where you have looked? Maybe people can explain where to find such things.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2024-12-08. Score: 2
  
  This is a well-known line of the Giuoco Pianissimo. According to the Chessbase app, the position has been reached over 2200 times.
  
  The position is usually reached by playing 4. d3 first, then 5. c3, which may be why you're not finding much online.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thank you so much.  I see now that my game is Giuoco Pianissimo Bird’s Attack.  And the answer is what I suspected:  after White a4, Black must go either a6 or a5 (or else Black loses his bishop and the game).  But then White has no advantage, which is why the Bird’s Attack is rarely used by good players.  I am a little surprised, however, that no one has mentioned that for low-level players, it is hard for Black to find a6 or a5, which is why I usually beat the 1500 bot easily.  Thanks again.  
  > **username_3**: I feel like the attack on the bishop is slightly less obvious if you play a4 *before* playing b4, and the lichess player statistics seem to indicate that it is the case; after a4 Black only plays a5, a6, or Bb6 about 63% of the time, while after b4 Bb6 a4 they'll play a5 or a6 95% of the time. (In the master database it's 100% either way, of course.) Against a bot that order might matter less, though.  
  
  ---
  
  