The Semi-Italian Opening (also known as Half Giuoco Piano, Lesser Giuoco Piano, and Paris Defence) is one of

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

's responses to the

Italian Game The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 This opening is defined by the of the white bishop to c4 (the so-called ""), where it attacks Black's vulnerable f7-square. It is part ...

.Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 365. Semi-Italian Opening.Kasparov & Keene (1982), pp. 308, 309. It begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 d6 Black's intent is to play a Hungarian Defense with an early ...Bg4, fighting for control of the d4-square.Harding & Botterill (1977), pp. 129–30. The line was tried by

Alexander Alekhine Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine, ''Aleksándr Aleksándrovich Alékhin''; (March 24, 1946) was a Russian and French chess player and the fourth World Chess Champion, a title he held for two reigns. By the age of 22, Alekhine was already a ...

early in his career.Horowitz (1964), pp. 39–41. The first recorded use in international competition was in 1846.

I. A. Horowitz Israel Albert Horowitz (often known as I. A. Horowitz or Al Horowitz) (November 15, 1907 – January 18, 1973) was an American International Master of chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling ...

called the defence "solid", also writing: "It does not seem quite sufficient for equality." The ''

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' () is a reference work describing the state of opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Serbian company Šahovski Informator (Chess Informant). It is current ...

'' code for the Semi-Italian is C50.

Lines

Main line: 4.c3

* 4...Bg4 5.d4 Qe7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Qb3 Nd8 8.Nbd2 g6 9.dxe5 and White was slightly better in

Grigory Levenfish Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish (russian: Григо́рий Я́ковлевич Левенфи́ш; – 9 February 1961) was a Soviet chess player who scored his peak competitive results in the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion ...

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Alexander Tolush Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush (1 May 1910 – 3 March 1969) was a Soviet chess grandmaster. He was one of Boris Spassky's mentors. Tolush was born and died in Saint Petersburg (in 1969 called Leningrad). He earned the title of International Mast ...

, Leningrad 1939. * 4...Qe7 5.d4 g6 or 5.0-0 g6 is satisfactory for Black (Alekhine). * 4...Be6 is preferred by

Savielly Tartakower Savielly Tartakower (also known as ''Xavier'' or ''Ksawery'' ''Tartakower'', less often ''Tartacover'' or ''Tartakover''; 21 February 1887 – 4 February 1956) was a Polish and French chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandm ...

4.d4 Bg4

After 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 White has the freer game according to

Paul Keres Paul Keres (; 7 January 1916 – 5 June 1975) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, and narrowly missed a chance at a World Chess Championship match on five ...

, and instead of 5...Nf6, Larry Evans has suggested 5...g6 The move 4...Be7 transposes to the Hungarian Defense. *5. c3 and now: ** 5...Qd7 and White has some after either 6.d5 or 6.Bb5 (Keres), or 6.Be3 (Evans). ** 5...Nf6 6.Qb3 with a clear advantage for White (Keres). ** 5...Qf6 6.Be3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 with some advantage for White (Keres). ** 5...Qe7 transposes to the Main line. *5. h3 and White is slightly better, for example 5... Bxf3 6. Qxf3 and now: ** 6...Nf6 7.d5 (

Wolfgang Unzicker Wolfgang Unzicker (26 June 1925 – 20 April 2006) was one of the strongest German chess Grandmasters from 1945 to about 1970. He decided against making chess his profession, choosing law instead. Unzicker was at times the world's strongest amat ...

). ** 6...Qf6 7.Qb3 Nd8 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Be3 Bd6 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Nb5 a6 12.Nxd6 Qxd6 13.0-0 Qc6 14.f4! and White had the attack in

Viktor Gavrikov Viktor Nikolaevich Gavrikov (; 29 July 1957 – 27 April 2016) was a Lithuanian-Swiss chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1984. Gavrikov shared first place with Gintautas Piešina in the 1978 Lithuanian Champion ...

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Evgeny Vladimirov Yevgeniy Vladimirov (russian: Евгений Владимиров; born 20 January 1957) is a chess player and trainer from Kazakhstan. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1989. Career In 2004, during the 14th Abu Dhabi Chess Fe ...

, USSR 1978 (Unzicker).

4.h3

White prevents Black's thematic ...Bg4. The reply 4.h3 leads to lines similar to the Hungarian Defense, for example 4... Be7 5. d4 and now: * 5...Nf6 6.d5 Nb8 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Be3 a5 9.g4!? (Keres preferred 9.c4) Na6 10.Qd2 c6 11.c4 Nd7 12.Nc3 Ndc5 leading to a game with balanced chances in

Viktor Kupreichik Viktor Davidovich Kupreichik (russian: Ви́ктор Давыдо́вич Купре́йчик, be, Віктар Давыдавіч Купрэйчык, ''Viktar Davydavič Kuprejčyk''; 3 July 1949 – 22 May 2017) was a Belarusian chess grandm ...

–Podgayets, USSR 1970. * 5...Nxd4 6.Nxd4 exd4 7.Qh5 g6 8.Qd5 Be6 9.Qxb7 Nf6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Qc6+ Kf7 12.Nd2 Qd7 13.Qc4 c5 14.0-0 d5 (

Gyula Sax Gyula Sax (18 June 1951 – 25 January 2014) was a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter (1995). In 1972 he won the European Junior Chess Championship in Groningen. Sax was awarded the IM title in 1972 and the GM title ...

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Borislav Ivkov Borislav Ivkov (12 November 1933 – 14 February 2022) was a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979. Ivkov was a three-time Yugos ...

, Amsterdam 1976) with an even game (Unzicker).

4.Nc3

This transposes to the game Maslov–

Anatoly Lutikov Anatoly Lutikov (5 February 1933 in Leningrad – 23 October 1989 in Tiraspol) was a Russian chess player. He was awarded the International Master title in 1967 and the Grandmaster title in 1974. He won the Moldovan championship six times (1963 ...

, USSR 1963, which continued 4...Bg4 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 Nf6 7.Ne2 (or 7.d3) and White stands slightly better (Keres,

Miroslav Filip Miroslav Filip (27 October 1928 – 27 April 2009) was a Czech chess grandmaster. Filip was awarded the title of International Master in 1953, and the Grandmaster title in 1955. Filip represented Czechoslovakia in 12 consecutive Chess Olympia ...

Notable games

Rodzinski vs. Alekhine, Paris 1913: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. c3 Bg4 5. Qb3 :5.d4, the Main line, is better. 5... Qd7 6. Ng5 :6.Bxf7+ Qxf7 7.Qxb7 Kd7 8.Qxa8 Bxf3 9.gxf3 Qxf3 10.Rg1 Qxe4+ 11.Kd1 Qf3+ 12.Ke1 Qe4+ with

perpetual check In the game of chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can a draw by an unending series of checks. This typically arises when the player who is checking cannot deliver checkmate, and failing to continue the series of checks give ...

(Alekhine); or 12...e4 13.Na3 Ne5 14.Qxa7 Nd3+ 15.Kf1 with an even game according to

Veniamin Sozin Veniamin Innokentevich Sozin (russian: Вениамин Иннокентьевич Созин, 1896–1956) was a Soviet chess master, writer, and theoretician. Chess career Sozin was an active player during the 1920s and 1930s, competing in four ...

, but Black with 15...Qd1+ 16.Kg2 Nf4+ 17.Kg3 Qf3+ 18.Kh4 Qh3+ 19.Kg5 Ne6. 6... Nh6 7. Nxf7 Nxf7 8. Bxf7+ Qxf7 9. Qxb7 Kd7 10. Qxa8 Qc4 11. f3 (diagram) Bxf3 12. gxf3 Nd4 13. d3 :13.cxd4 Qxc1+ with clear advantage for Black. 13... Qxd3 14. cxd4 Be7 15. Qxh8 Bh4#

References

Bibliography * * * * * {{Chess, state=collapsed Chess openings