worst opening in chess." Also known as the Latvian Gambit. Calabrese Countergambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5 Bishop's Opening, Greco Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.f4 Giuoco Piano, Greco's Attack: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Giuoco Piano, Greco Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 Nxc3 King's Gambit Accepted, Bishop's Gambit, Greco Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 Bc5 King's Gambit Accepted, Greco Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.h4 h6 6.d4 d6 7.Nc3 c6 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.Rxh8 Bxh8 10.Ne5 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Central Variation, Greco Variation: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 b5 Example games As one of the players during the age of the Italian Romantic style, Greco studied the Italian game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4), among other openings. His games are regarded as classics of early chess literature and are sometimes still taught to beginners. Greco himself presented his games as between "White" and "Black"; the modern convention is to name the participants Greco and , for the Latin nomen nescio. Among his games were the first smothered mate: vs. Greco, 1620 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Re1 0-0 6.c3 Qe7 7.d4 exd4 8.e5 Ng4 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Qh4 11.Nf3 Qxf2+ 12.Kh1 Qg1+ 13.Nxg1 Nf2 and another that was continued into the endgame: Greco vs. NN, 1623 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.0-0 d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 fxg5 10.Qh5+ Kf8 11.Bxg5 Qe8 12.Qf3+ Kg7 13.Bxg8 Kxg8 14.d5 Ne7 15.Bf6 Qf7 16.Nd2 h6 17.Bxh8 Qxf3 18.Nxf3 Kxh8 19.h3 Bd7 20.c4 Bd4 21.Nxd4 exd4 22.Rad1 c5 23.f4 Rf8 24.e5 dxe5 25.fxe5 Rxf1+ 26.Rxf1 Kg8 27.e6 Bc8 28.d6 Nc6 29.d7 Bxd7 30.exd7 d3 31.Re1 d2 32.Re8+ Kg7 33.d8=Q Nxd8 34.Rxd8 Kf7 35.Rxd2 Compositions Although Greco is known for recording entire games, he also included a number of chess problems in his manuscripts. Many of these were either copied directly, or adapted with modifications, from the works of previous authors. This puzzle uses the theme of the wrong rook pawn, and is probably an original composition by Greco: And here is one inspired by an earlier composition by Salvio: Quotes about Greco "Greco was the Morphy of the seventeenth century, and it may safely be said that in brilliancy and fertility of invention he has never been surpassed." (J.A. Leon,