Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense
Chess opening · ECO C50 · 6 half-moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6
The Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense is reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the Italian Game with 3… h6.
How often it is played
The Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense and its variations appeared in 0.47% of games — 14,096 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 95 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 51%, 3.8% were drawn and Black won 45%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at +0.74 — a clear edge for White. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Italian Game: Two Knights Defense | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 | 1.8% |
| Italian Game: Giuoco Piano | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 | 1.4% |
| Italian Game: Paris Defense | 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 | 0.37% |
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