1.e4 e5 for Black – Repertoire against the Italian Game + PGN May 25, 2023

The camp of GM Papaioannou – 1.e4 e5 for Black – Repertoire against the Italian Game is already a digital product.

This product includes all the videos from the workshop as well as the PGN file related to the training sessions. Overall, the material consists of 9 hours of video and a PGN database which includes 112 files! 

You will find the following lectures:

✅ Typical Italian Strategies

✅ Repertoire against the Italian-Scotch Gambit

✅ Repertoire against 4.Ng5 and the Minor Lines

✅ Plans with …h7-h6 and …g7-g6

✅ Plans with …Bc5 – Part 1

✅ Plans with …Bc5 – Part 2

Now, we shall take a look at the different lectures.

Typical Italian Strategies

In this lecture, GM Ioannis Papaioannou examines the most important positional patterns that every Italian player should know. These concepts can be applied in almost all lines of the Italian Game.

The lecture is divided into the following parts:

1) Isolated Italian Bishop

2) Fundamental Mistakes in 1.e4 e5 positions

3) Be7 or Kingside Fianchetto?

4) Symmetrical Endgames arising after dxe5

Below, you shall take a look at one of the model games.

Repertoire against the Italian-Scotch Gambit

The starting position of the Scotch Gambit arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4

In this variation, Black is doing very well objectively if he knows what he is doing. After 4…Nf6, White has two main options – 5.0-0 and 5.e5.

After 5.0-0, Papaioannou suggests 5…Nxe4 when the first critical position arises after 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 

At this point, Black has a choice. The suggestion of Papaioannou is 8…Qd7! which is very reliable and easy to learn. He explains how Black can play for a win in the arising endgame positions.

The other important direction is 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5

Now, instead of the most common 6…Ne4, Papaioannou covers 6…Nd7. In his opinion, this move is more interesting if Black wants to play for a win. The arising positions are strategically complex and White can easily go wrong.