Book. You are in the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
Heading for Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
Now the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
This is the Giuoco Pianissimo by another road. The drill continues in the main tree.
This is the Giuoco Pianissimo with h six already played, the five, h six line of the main tree.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play one, e four.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play two, knight to f three.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play three, bishop to c four.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play four, c three.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play five, d three.
The Giuoco Pianissimo, five, d three
Book. You are in the Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree.
Now the Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree: play one, e four.
Heading for Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree: play three, bishop to c four.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo, main tree: play two, knight to f three.
The Giuoco Piano. White builds a quiet centre with c3 and d3, castles, then adds rook to e one, a4 against A six, h three, and the knight from b1 to g3.
The Two Knights hits e4 at once. White does not need four, knight to g five here, four, d three defends the pawn and keeps the Pianissimo structure.
The Pianissimo is a set-up more than a line: c3, d3, castles, rook to e one, a4 against A six, h three, and the knight from b1 to d2, f1 and g3. This page explains the position that set-up aims for, the squares it fights over, and why a few third moves call for something else. Read the squares first. Every family card below points back to them by name.
The book does not play four, knight to g five. The quiet move keeps the Pianissimo pawns, and four, bishop c five, c three simply is the ta-bee-a. With four, bishop to e seven White castles, plays rook e one and c3, and reaches the Two Knights ta-bee-a after seven, c three, where the three, d six and three, h six families also land.
White: c3, then knight to g five against knight f six, queen to b three against bishop g four, and the Pianissimo set-up against bishop to e seven.
The solid bishop. With the bishop on e7 the plans are close to a Ruy Lopez.
The Two Knights ta-bee-a. Same pawns as the main tree, but with the bishop on e7 Black plays knight to A five and b five as in a Ruy Lopez.
Book. You are in seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure).
Heading for seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure).
End of book. Both sides have regrouped as in a closed Ruy Lopez, and White chooses later between d4 and a slow kingside build.
Now seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure).
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play one, e four.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play two, knight to f three.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play four, d three.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play five, castles.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play six, rook to e one.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play seven, c three.
You are drilling the seven, knight to A five, bishop b five (Ruy Lopez structure): play three, bishop to c four.
In the Two Knights with bishop to e seven, Black gets b five another way, with knight A five hitting the bishop. There the bishop steps to b5, drops to a4 and settles on c2, and the game turns into a Ruy Lopez.
With the bishop on e7 instead of c5, f2 is no longer a target, but Black gets knight to A five and b five against the c4 bishop, and the game turns into a Ruy Lopez.
Black: knight to A five and b five for queenside space, rook e eight and bishop to f eight as in a closed Ruy Lopez.
The Rousseau Gambit. Black hits e4 with the f-pawn and loosens his own king along the a2 to g8 diagonal for the rest of the game.
Now the Rousseau Gambit, four, d three.
Book. You are in the Rousseau Gambit, four, d three.
Heading for Rousseau Gambit, four, d three.
You are drilling the Rousseau Gambit, four, d three: play one, e four.
You are drilling the Rousseau Gambit, four, d three: play two, knight to f three.
You are drilling the Rousseau Gambit, four, d three: play three, bishop to c four.
three, f five is the Rousseau. four, d three keeps e4 solid; four, e takes f five lets e four kick the knight. Black's king stays weak on the a2 to g8 diagonal for the rest of the game. three, g six is slow, so four, d four at once and knight takes on c six breaks Black's pawns; if the knight comes to f6, e5 chases it, and knight takes e four runs into queen to d four.
Book. You are in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four).
Now the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four).
Heading for Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four).
You are drilling the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four): play one, e four.
You are drilling the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four): play two, knight f three.
You are drilling the Blackburne Shilling Gambit (three, knight to d four): play three, bishop c four.
three, knight to d four is the Blackburne Shilling. four, knight takes on e five is the mistake: queen g five hits the knight and g2, and knight takes f seven runs into mate on f3. The book plays four, knight takes on d four, e takes d four, castles, then rook to e one and c3 against the lone pawn on d4. five, bishop c five loses to six, bishop takes f seven check and queen to h five check.
Black spends a tempo on the fian-keto and leaves d4 under-defended.
Now three, g six (the kingside fian-keto).
Book. You are in three, g six (the kingside fian-keto).
Black finishes the fian-keto, but the knight on f6 is now in the way of the pawn.
Heading for three, g six (the kingside fian-keto).
You are drilling the three, g six (the kingside fian-keto): play one, e four.
You are drilling the three, g six (the kingside fian-keto): play three, bishop to c four.
You are drilling the three, g six (the kingside fian-keto): play two, knight to f three.
The ta-bee-a of the whole book. The pawn on d3 keeps e4 solid so nothing in the centre can be attacked, and White builds the set up piece by piece.
Book. You are in the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
Heading for Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
Now the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a.
The Two Knights ta-bee-a. Same pawns as the main tree, but with the bishop on e7 Black plays knight to A five and b five as in a Ruy Lopez.
Now four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three).
Heading for four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three).
Book. You are in four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three).
This is the Two Knights ta-bee-a by another order, and the drill continues from there.
This is the Two Knights ta-bee-a after seven, h six.
This is the Two Knights ta-bee-a with the moves in a different order. The book carries on there.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play one, e four.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play two, knight to f three.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play three, bishop to c four.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play four, c three.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play one, e four.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play two, knight f three.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play three, bishop c four.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play four, d three.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play five, castles.
You are drilling the Giuoco Pianissimo ta-bee-a: play five, d three.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play six, rook e one.
You are drilling the four, d three, bishop to e seven ta-bee-a (seven, c three): play seven, c three.
After four, knight to f six the knight hits e4, so five, d three holds it and the game is the ta-bee-a. Against five, A six White castles and plays a4 the next move; against five, d six the rook goes to e1 first and a4 waits for A six; five, castles and five, h six are move orders into the same positions. The main line runs to thirteen, knight g three and stops: the set-up is complete and the rest is plans.
The book does not play four, knight to g five. The quiet move keeps the Pianissimo pawns, and four, bishop c five, c three simply is the ta-bee-a. With four, bishop to e seven White castles, plays rook e one and c3, and reaches the Two Knights ta-bee-a after seven, c three, where the three, d six and three, h six families also land.
The quiet four, bishop to e seven covers g5, so the book plays d3, knight f six, castles and rook to e one, and hops into the Two Knights ta-bee-a. four, f five loosens the a2 to g8 diagonal, and the book stops at eight, bishop b three once Black has lost the right to castle.
three, h six spends a tempo to close the f7 window. White plays c3 and d3 as usual and the family hops into the main tree with bishop to c five or into the Two Knights ta-bee-a with d six and bishop e seven. The exception is four, bishop to c five before knight f six: nothing hits e4, so five, d four takes the centre with tempo.