Openings

What does Italian bishop mean in chess?

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In chess, Italian bishop refers to a white bishop developed to c4 or a black bishop developed to c5. A bishop so developed is characteristic of the Italian Game. In the Giuoco Piano both players have Italian bishops. The Italian bishop stands in contrast to the Spanish bishop on b5 characteristic of the Ruy Lopez.

Italian bishop FAQ

What does Italian bishop mean in chess?

In chess, Italian bishop refers to a white bishop developed to c4 or a black bishop developed to c5. A bishop so developed is characteristic of the Italian Game. In the Giuoco Piano both players have Italian bishops. The Italian bishop stands in contrast to the Spanish bishop on b5 characteristic of the Ruy Lopez.

Train this pattern on your own games

Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free PGN analysis runs Stockfish 19 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.

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