Eljanov’s Italian Game – Part 1 PGN Only March 25, 2026

While the Ruy Lopez dominated elite repertoires for decades, the Italian Game quietly grew into one of the most theoretically rich and practically flexible options for White. Its pawn structures offer genuine choice — the same opening suits positional grinders and aggressive players alike.

GM Pavel Eljanov has made the Italian a cornerstone of his White repertoire in recent years, with strong results to show for it. His new project on Modern Chess translates that firsthand experience into a structured, deeply analyzed body of work covering Black’s responses to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4.