Against the Scotch Game
You play Black · 30 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 18
- Classical Variation, Millennium VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Qg66 moves
- Classical Variation, Intermezzo VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf65 moves
- Gottschall VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Qd2 d5 8. Nb5 Bxe3 9. Qxe3 O-O 10. Nxc7 Rb8 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Nb412 moves
- Mieses VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e56 moves
- Braune VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Be35 moves
- Fraser VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nf35 moves
- Horwitz Attack, Blackburne VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Kd8 8. O-O Bxd2 9. Qxd29 moves
- Modern DefenseC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nc3 Bb45 moves
- Paulsen VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nf55 moves
- Rosenthal VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Kd8 8. O-O Bxd2 9. Nxd2 Qg69 moves
- Scotch Gambit, Cochrane-Anderssen VariationC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 Bg46 moves
- Scotch Gambit, Kingside VariationC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ng45 moves
- Cochrane VariationC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Ba5 7. e57 moves
- Cochrane-Shumov DefenseC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Nxf7 Nxf7 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Qxc5 d59 moves
- Hanneken VariationC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6 8. Ng5 O-O 9. e5 Nxe59 moves
- Vitzthum AttackC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Qh56 moves
- Göring Gambit, Main LineC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Nxc3 Bb45 moves
- Göring Gambit, Bardeleben VariationC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nxc3 Bb46 moves
Other variations · 12
- Alekhine GambitC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. e55 moves
- Benima DefenseC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd44 moves
- Blumenfeld AttackC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. Nb56 moves
- Ghulam-Kassim VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 d6 6. Bd36 moves
- Malaniuk VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+4 moves
- Meitner VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Nc27 moves
- Napoleon GambitC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Nxd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. Bc45 moves
- Paulsen, Gunsberg DefenseC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 Nd87 moves
- Relfsson GambitC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bb54 moves
- Romanishin VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb4+5 moves
- Sea-Cadet MateC441. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Nxc3 d6 6. Bc4 Bg4 7. O-O Ne5 8. Nxe5 Bxd1 9. Bxf7+ Ke7 10. Nd5#10 moves
- Tartakower VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Nd26 moves
How to play against the Scotch Game
The Scotch Game starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4, and after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 White has opened the center at once. This guide is about meeting it as Black. White wants free development and space, while Black aims to hit the d4 knight and the e4 pawn with quick piece play. The character is open and dynamic, with less early theory than the Ruy Lopez but plenty of concrete ideas. Kasparov made the Scotch a top-level weapon, and today it is a mainstream choice for White, so anyone who meets 1.e4 with ...e5 needs a clear plan against it, including the gambits where White does not recapture on d4.
Main ideas and plans
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 the two main replies are ...Nf6 and ...Bc5. Against the knight move the critical line is the Mieses Variation, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4, where Black plays ...Ba6 or ...Nb6 and hits the advanced e5 pawn; your structure is damaged, but you get open lines and active pieces. After ...Bc5 White chooses Nxc6, Nb3 or Be3. Against Nxc6 the Intermezzo idea ...Qf6 keeps the threat of mate on f2 in the air, and after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Black develops with ...Nge7 or plays the Millennium Variation with ...Qg6. The Malaniuk with ...Bb4+ and the Steinitz with ...Qh4 are sharper, less common options.
White can also gambit. In the Scotch Gambit with Bc4 on move four, Black can answer ...Nf6, heading for Two Knights type positions, or ...Bc5. In the Göring Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3, you can accept with ...dxc3 and develop fast, or decline with the safe ...d5. In all lines your rule is the same: develop quickly, castle, and break with ...d5 when it opens lines for your pieces.
Who is it for?
Preparing against the Scotch is essential for anyone who answers 1.e4 with ...e5. The ...Nf6 lines suit players who accept a damaged structure for activity, while ...Bc5 suits those who prefer natural development and pressure on d4. The risk is that a passive set-up gives White a space advantage and an easy game. First learn the Mieses structure and the ...Ba6 idea, and have a simple, safe answer ready for each gambit, because club players use them often.