yeah it's playable up to a certain extent. i know the italian much much better than my other openings besides my black reportoire of course. but i am trying to adjust simply because of the idea of Nf6 after Bc4. two knights defense. and i know, Ng5, d4, exd4, Na5, isn't this better for white? my answer is no. black can easily get ahead in devlopment and crush white. so i would instead focus on the ruy lopez. i wish someone had told me this before i looked so deep into the italian. but yes, until 1600 or 1700 its perfectly fine.
italian game/ gicoco piano
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Ditch the italian game for the spanish.
The Italian game is fun for awhile, but loses its' luster once you meet Black players who know how to sidestep the dangerous lines or navigate gambits. Then the opening becomes a weak Spanish with the bishop misplaced on c4.
In the Spanish game, White has a ton of choices... and most of them are always pretty good!
1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
I looked at the opening italian game/ gicoco piano in chessmaster 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4
It appears to go something like 13 moves deep.
but what is a strong players view on that opening should I play it or should I try something else. does it have any future.
from my point of view it appears to have some tactics if the other player plays it wrong.
instead of 5.d4 I sometimes play b4 instead opening italian game/ gicoco piano /bird's attack.
but regardless of b4 or d4 I feel like my opening is weak. any help? thanks.