Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense: what should White play?

In the Italian Game: Anti-Fried Liver Defense, White achieves the most promising position with the central capture dxe5. This move immediately opens lines to exploit Black's passive pawn structure, leading to an engine evaluation of +0.80. It represents the dominant choice in practical play, chosen in 59.9% of the 1,362,021 recorded games and yielding a 58.5% score for White.

The Impact of dxe5

Choosing dxe5 challenges Black's center directly and forces an immediate resolution in pawn structure. In contrast to quieter continuations, this capture maintains maximum central pressure while clearing pathways for White's pieces. An illustrative continuation demonstrating tactical alertness from both sides is dxe5 Bg4 h3 Bxf3 Qxf3 Nxe5, after which White preserves active pieces and the superior pawn majority.

Space-Gaining Alternatives: d5 and Natural Development

The second most popular choice is the central thrust d5, played in 25.8% of games (352K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.55 and a 52.5% score for White. This move locks the center and gains territory, as seen in the sample continuation d5 Nce7 Nc3 Nf6 Be3 Bd7. While structurally sound, d5 releases the tension earlier than dxe5, giving Black slightly more room to reorganize minor pieces.

Flexible Developing Moves

White can also maintain central tension through classical piece development. Castling with O-O occurs in 9.4% of games, scoring 55.1% with an evaluation of +0.65, often followed by O-O Be7 d5 Nb8 Bd3 a5. Less frequent options include Nc3 (evaluated at +0.67, scoring 57.5% across 56K games) and Be3 (evaluated at +0.64, scoring 54.3% across 11K games). While these moves preserve flexibility, dxe5 remains the most decisive path to an enduring advantage.