Olivia Costa: Level 28 Chess Rival (1786 ELO)

Bishop tier · Knight Outpost · plays the Italian Game

• Level: 28 of 100
• Tier: Bishop
• Rating: 1786 ELO
• Opening: Italian Game
• Style: Knight Outpost
• From: United States
• Age: 15
• Plays: Black (you have White)

How Olivia plays

Olivia is a fifteen-year-old from Ohio who thinks the knight is the most beautiful piece on the board. In the Giuoco Piano she develops quietly with ...Bc5, ...Nf6 and ...d6, but her real plan is to reroute a knight toward a dream square. The f4 outpost is her favourite: ...Ne7-g6-f4 or ...Nh5-f4, and once a knight lands there she treats it as a second queen.

She is fearless for her age and plays with a clear sense of purpose, which makes her slow positions feel sharper than they look. Olivia is most comfortable in closed, symmetrical structures where squares matter more than diagonals. She gets uneasy when the centre opens and long-range pieces start to dominate, because her knights then need several moves to find a new home. She also tends to undervalue her own light-squared bishop and will trade it for a knight without much thought.

At 1786 ELO, Olivia rarely gives material away for nothing. She is held to that rating by the engine, so you will see the occasional inaccuracy in quiet positions, but tactics are usually spotted. Games are won by building a better position over many moves and converting it carefully.

Italian Game: the line Olivia plays

In the Italian Game Olivia meets 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 with ...Bc5, the classical Giuoco Piano. The book continues with ...Nf6, ...d6, ...a6 and short castling: quiet, symmetrical development where both sides manoeuvre before anything breaks open.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 7.Re1 O-O

• 3...Bc5: ...Bc5 mirrors White's bishop and keeps an eye on f2.
• 5...d6: ...d6 supports e5. Black is in no hurry.
• 6...a6: ...a6 gives the bishop a retreat square on a7 so it can't be hit by b4 or Na4.
• 7...O-O: Both sides have castled. The real game starts now.

Learn it move by move: Italian Game walkthrough

How to beat Olivia

1. Guard the f4 square before her knight gets there. Keep your dark-squared bishop on c1 or e3 so you can take a knight that lands on f4, and play g3 only when it does not loosen your king.
2. Trade your knights for her bishops when you can, and steer toward an open centre with a well-timed d4 break. Two bishops in an open position are the worst matchup for her style.
3. Play h3 early to take g4 away from her knight. Without that square her pieces have one route fewer to your kingside and she must find another, slower plan.
4. The slow Giuoco Piano rewards patience. Prepare d4 with c3, reroute the queen's knight via d2 and f1 to g3, and only open the centre once your pieces are ready. Avoid trading your light-squared bishop cheaply on f7: the cheap check rarely wins anything.
5. Their book answers 1.e4 only (with lines for the Italian, Two Knights, Spanish and Scotch). Open 1.d4 or 1.c4 and she is out of book at once.

What beating Olivia teaches you

Olivia teaches you to read an opponent's piece routes in advance and close them off with one prophylactic move. You also learn when bishops are stronger than knights and how to open a position to prove it.

Neighbours on the ladder

• Roberto Patel: level 27
• Yamato Larsen: level 29