Scotch Game
You play White · 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 · 12
- 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
- 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 · 18
- 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
- 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
- Ghulam-Kassim VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nxd4 5. Qxd4 d6 6. Bd36 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
- 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
- Modern DefenseC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nc3 Bb45 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
- Paulsen VariationC451. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nf55 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
- 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
- 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
What is the Scotch Game?
The Scotch Game starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4. Instead of building slow pressure as in the Ruy Lopez, White opens the centre immediately, and after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 you have a free hand in the centre and easy development. The Scotch leads to open positions with clear plans and is a respected mainstream choice; Kasparov brought it back into top-level chess.
Main ideas and plans
Black's two main replies both attack your centralised knight. The Classical Variation, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5, hits d4, and the usual continuation, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4, keeps the knight protected and leads to rich middlegames. Exchanging on c6 at once allows the Intermezzo Variation, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6, where Black's queen hits f2 before recapturing. The other main move is the knight to f6, and 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 is the Mieses Variation: you gain space and chase the knight, while Black relies on active pieces and the half-open b-file to strike back against your advanced e5 pawn.
Your general plan is simple: develop quickly with Nc3, Be3 or Bc4 and castling, use your extra central space, and look for e5 or f4 to gain more room. After an exchange on c6 the structure often favours you, because Black's queenside pawns are split, but Black gets open lines and active bishops in return, so do not underestimate the counterplay. If you prefer gambits, the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4) and the Göring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3) offer a pawn for fast development and attacking chances; in both, Black's freeing ...d5 is the key defensive resource.
Who is it for?
The Scotch suits players who like open positions and clear plans without the vast theory of the Ruy Lopez. It is a good choice from club level upward and teaches central play and piece activity. The downside is that releasing the tension so early gives Black free development, so you need to play energetically to keep an edge. Before you play it, study the queen sortie 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4, which attacks e4 and sets traps, and learn the typical Mieses structures that arise after the exchange on c6.