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The Italian Game, especially the Giuoco Piano lines can be slow and positional. Giuoco Piano is literally the “quiet game” and the Giuoco Pianissimo the “very quiet game”!

I this game, I played the Two Knights Defense against the Italian, and without thinking, I had transposed the game into the Giuoco Pianissimo… One of the reasons I changed to play the Vienna Game was, in part, to avoid the Italian as I found them a little on the boring side. So, in this game, I decided to play aggressively and bombastically! This was NOT a quiet game of the Giuoco Piano!

On move 6, I leapt forward with my knight (6… Nd4), effectively playing a gambit with my pawn on e5. I knew this wasn’t a good move [+4], but it’s provocative and spicy, and can result in some interesting positions. Interestingly, White opted to play “slow” with (7. c3), bringing back the evaluation to equality. I trade knights – my goal all along was to remove one of the kingside defenders – and my aggressive play was justified. I knew also that dangerous and unbalanced attacks might work against my opponent!

So, on move 9, I play another provocative move (9… Be6), asking White to trade bishops, which would allow me to open the f-file. White again avoids the confrontation, but in doing so, their bishop was forced to move to a less optimal position on the board.

On move 15, I ignore a threat down the centre to attack White’s kingside and manage to open the h-file. Stockfish continues to think I’m a madman [+7], but the game has certainly not become positional, but highly tactical! And on move 20, this tactical line bears fruit with White make a mistake that isn’t obviously so, but results in a straight up loss of their rook along their own back rank. I was really pumped that this worked out, though notably, this only brings me back to equality!

My opponent is probably the better player and I lose my advantage in the late middle game and endgame. White managed to get two connected passed pawns and I was dead lost. On move 36, I realised that I was on the verge of being mated, or that one of their connected passed pawns was going to promote to queen. So, I made my last bold gambit of the game! On move 36, I played (36… f3), which hung a mate-in-1. However, if White didn’t recognise the pattern of back rank mate with pawns and rook, then I also could checkmate White the next turn. And one of the things with pushing pawns is that you can get tunnel vision that the only goal is promoting to a queen and miss the potential for a rook and pawn mate.

And they did and lost the game. The evaluation bar changes the greatest degree possible, from [+M1] to [-M1], and I managed to get a win that I didn’t deserve. As the aphorism goes, “snatching victory from the jaws of defeat”! GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/71188608217

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2023.02.26"]
[Round "-"]
[White "vitaliyooo"]
[Black "vitualis"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "C50"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Giuoco-Piano-Game-4.O-O-Nf6-5.d3-h6"]
[UTCDate "2023.02.26"]
[UTCTime "22:14:22"]
[WhiteElo "1460"]
[BlackElo "1454"]
[TimeControl "1800"]
[Termination "vitualis won by checkmate"]
[StartTime "22:14:22"]
[EndDate "2023.02.26"]
[EndTime "22:42:35"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/71188608217"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/121656492.b8c97ea6.50x50o.957405ef688e.jpeg"]
[WhiteCountry "141"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.82046355.50x50o.c8c8e6b7296c.jpg"]
[BlackCountry "17"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:29:59.3]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:29:55.1]} 2. Nf3 {[%clk 0:29:56.9]}
2... Nc6 {[%clk 0:29:52.4]} 3. Bc4 {[%clk 0:29:54.7]} 3... Nf6 {[%clk 0:29:50.5]
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense} 4. d3 {[%clk 0:29:52.1]} 4... Bc5 {[%clk
0:29:29.4] Transpose to the Giuoco Pianissimo} 5. O-O {[%clk 0:29:48.3]} 5... h6
{[%clk 0:29:25.9]} 6. Be3 {[%clk 0:29:47]} 6... Nd4 $4 {[%clk
0:29:18.5][%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c5b6;keyPressed;none;from;c5;opacity;0.8;to;b6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b6;persistent;false] I know that this
isn't a good move, but it's provocative and can result in spicy chess, where I
end up with a reasonable position [+4]. Effectively, I'm hanging my pawn on e5,
and White should take it.} 7. c3 $2 {[%clk 0:29:38.3][%c_effect
c3;square;c3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] But they opted to play slow and
conservative, which now justified my \"gambit\" $1 [+0.3]} 7... Nxf3+ {[%clk
0:29:12.9]} 8. Qxf3 {[%clk 0:29:36.3]} 8... d6 {[%clk 0:28:51.7]} 9. h3 $6 {[%clk
0:29:34.2][%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d3d4;keyPressed;none;from;d3;opacity;0.8;to;d4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d4;persistent;false] Inaccuracy [0.00]}
9... Be6 $2 {[%clk 0:28:38.3][%c_effect e6;square;e6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]
Another provocative move - I want White to capture so that I can open my f-file
[+1.5]} 10. Bb5+ $2 {[%clk 0:29:14.4][%c_effect
b5;square;b5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Again, White avoids the
confrontation, but this justified my aggressive stance [0.00]} 10... c6 {[%clk
0:28:33.4]} 11. Ba4 {[%clk 0:29:11.3]} 11... Qd7 $2 {[%clk 0:26:21.2][%c_effect
d7;square;d7;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Lining up a battery with the bishop -
I knew it was risky... [+2]} 12. d4 $1 {[%clk 0:29:06][%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Great move by White} 12... b5
{[%clk 0:25:37.3]} 13. Bxb5 $3 {[%clk 0:28:39.5][%c_effect
b5;square;b5;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Stockfish calls this brilliant $2}
13... cxb5 {[%clk 0:25:30.8]} 14. dxc5 $1 {[%clk 0:28:37.1][%c_effect
c5;square;c5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 14... h5 $2 {[%clk
0:24:46.2][%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d6c5;keyPressed;none;from;d6;opacity;0.8;to;c5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c5;persistent;false] Another aggressive
forward push, ignoring danger $1 [+3.7]} 15. Rd1 {[%clk 0:28:28.2]} 15... Bg4 $2
{[%clk 0:24:17.9][%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d6d5;keyPressed;none;from;d6;opacity;0.8;to;d5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d5;persistent;false] Cracking into White's
kingside defences. Stockfish hates it, but it's tricky $1 [+7]} 16. hxg4 {[%clk
0:28:23.9]} 16... hxg4 {[%clk 0:24:09.5] And for the cost of material, I opened
up the h-file} 17. Qf5 {[%clk 0:28:03.5]} 17... Rh5 {[%clk 0:22:21.8]} 18. Qxd7+
{[%clk 0:27:26]} 18... Kxd7 {[%clk 0:22:17.1]} 19. Rxd6+ {[%clk 0:27:23.8]}
19... Kc7 {[%clk 0:22:02]} 20. Nd2 $2 {[%clk 0:26:50.2][%c_effect
d2;square;d2;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
f2f3;keyPressed;none;from;f2;opacity;0.8;to;f3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f3;persistent;false] And my entire gambit
has been made worthwhile $1 [0.00]} 20... Rah8 $1 {[%clk 0:22:00.1][%c_effect
h8;square;h8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White cannot avoid losing a rook}
21. Kf1 {[%clk 0:25:45.2]} 21... Rh1+ $1 {[%clk 0:21:54.8][%c_effect
h1;square;h1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 22. Ke2 {[%clk 0:25:43.7]} 22...
Rxa1 {[%clk 0:21:54.3]} 23. Ra6 $1 {[%clk 0:25:32.5][%c_effect
a6;square;a6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 23... Rb8 $2 {[%clk
0:20:17.5][%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c7b7;keyPressed;none;from;c7;opacity;0.8;to;b7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b7;persistent;false] I should have played
more defensively, rather than aggressively here [+1.9]} 24. Rxa7+ {[%clk
0:25:29.3]} 24... Rb7 $1 {[%clk 0:20:16.6][%c_effect
b7;square;b7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 25. Ra6 {[%clk 0:25:06.6]} 25...
Nh5 $2 {[%clk 0:18:52.8][%c_effect
h5;square;h5;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
f6d7;keyPressed;none;from;f6;opacity;0.8;to;d7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d7;persistent;false] I didn't see that the
knight could attack White's rook [+4.3]} 26. Nb3 $6 {[%clk 0:24:44.1][%c_effect
b3;square;b3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_highlight
g3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g3;persistent;false][%c_arrow
g2g3;keyPressed;none;from;g2;opacity;0.8;to;g3;persistent;false] An inaccuracy}
26... Nf4+ $4 {[%clk 0:18:22.7][%c_effect
f4;square;f4;type;Blunder;keyPressed;undefined;persistent;true] I thought this
trade was okay, but it's devastating [+9]. I literally didn't see that I had
hung my rook $1} 27. Bxf4 $1 {[%clk 0:24:30][%c_effect
f4;square;f4;type;GreatFind;keyPressed;undefined;persistent;true]} 27... exf4
{[%clk 0:18:18.7]} 28. Nd4 $4 {[%clk 0:24:22][%c_arrow
b3a1;keyPressed;none;from;b3;opacity;0.8;to;a1;persistent;false][%c_highlight
a1;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;a1;persistent;false][%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;Blunder;persistent;true] My opponent had a winning move but
missed the hanging rook $1 [0.00]} 28... Rb1 $1 {[%clk 0:18:10.9][%c_effect
b1;square;b1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 29. b3 $6 {[%clk 0:23:00][%c_effect
b3;square;b3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 29... Rb2+ {[%clk 0:18:03.8]} 30.
Kf1 {[%clk 0:22:50.8]} 30... b4 {[%clk 0:15:24.7]} 31. c4 {[%clk 0:22:47.9]}
31... Rd2 $6 {[%clk 0:14:37.3][%c_effect
d2;square;d2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c7b8;keyPressed;none;from;c7;opacity;0.8;to;b8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b8;persistent;false] [+1]} 32. Nb5+ $1
{[%clk 0:22:06.6][%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 32...
Kb8 $2 {[%clk 0:13:50.6][%c_effect
b8;square;b8;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
c7d8;keyPressed;none;from;c7;opacity;0.8;to;d8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d8;persistent;false] I'm in trouble [+5]}
33. c6 $1 {[%clk 0:22:01.1][%c_effect
c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 33... Rxb5 $6 {[%clk
0:12:23.8][%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
b7e7;keyPressed;none;from;b7;opacity;0.8;to;e7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false] White now has passed
pawns... [+9]} 34. cxb5 {[%clk 0:21:58.6]} 34... Kc7 {[%clk 0:12:06.6]} 35. Ra7+
{[%clk 0:21:23.8]} 35... Kc8 {[%clk 0:11:15.1]} 36. b6 {[%clk 0:21:21]} 36...
f3 $2 {[%clk 0:11:14.1][%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A
gambit, if White doesn't see the [+M1], then I had a [-M1]...} 37. Rxf7 $4 {[%clk
0:20:58.7][%c_effect f7;square;f7;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 37... Rd1# $1
{[%clk 0:11:07.7][%c_effect
d1;square;d1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true,c8;square;c8;type;Winner,f1;square;f1;type;CheckmateWhite]
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat $1} 0-1