In the quiet Italian, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 with d3 instead of an early d4, both sides develop calmly and the game is decided in the middlegame. Because nothing is forced, the mistakes in this opening are almost all tactical slips, and two patterns stand out in our data.
The first is the bishop sacrifice on f7 without a follow-up. After 3...Bc5 4.O-O h6, White plays 5.Bxf7+? and after 5...Kxf7 none of the follow-up checks works: White has simply given a bishop for a pawn. The same mistake follows 4.d4 Bxd4 5.c3 Bb6 6.Bxf7+?. A sacrifice on f7 needs at least one more piece ready to join with check, usually Ng5+ or Qb3+.
The second pattern is a loose knight. After 3...h6 4.d3 Nge7 5.Nc3 Black plays 5...Na5?, attacking the bishop, but the knight has left e5 without a defender and 6.Nxe5 wins a pawn with threats on f7. After 3...Be7 4.Nc3 Nf6 the capture 5.Nxe5? looks free, but the pawn was defended: 5...Nxe5 and White has given a knight for a pawn.
Black has the same sacrifice available, and it fails for the same reason. After 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.d3 O-O 6.Na4 Black plays 6...Bxf2+?, and 7.Kxf2 leaves Black a piece down with the white king perfectly safe.
The common thread: in a slow position nothing is gained by sacrificing early. Count the pieces that can join the attack in the next two moves, and keep every piece that leaves the back rank defended. The puzzles below are drawn from exactly these mistakes, for both colours.
| Mistake | Side | Count | Avg loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5...Bxf7+ | Black | 70 | 4.1 pawns |
| 5.Na5 | White | 67 | 4.4 pawns |
| 6...Bxf7+ | Black | 66 | 4.2 pawns |
| 5...Nxe5 | Black | 54 | 4.3 pawns |
| 6.Bxf2+ | White | 45 | 3.6 pawns |