Scotch Game

The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4

White strikes in the centre early with 3.d4. Black almost always responds with 3...exd4. White's most common reply is 4.Nxd4, with the notable alternatives 4.Bc4 (the Scotch Gambit) and 4.c3 (the Göring Gambit).

Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese ("On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese Author"), was the first author to mention what is now called the Scotch Game.Harry Golombek, Chess: A History, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1976, pp. 117–18. The opening received its name from a correspondence match in 1824 between Edinburgh and London.

Common in the 19th century, by 1900 the Scotch had declined in popularity because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow Black to without difficulty. Garry Kasparov led a revival of the Scotch in the late 20th century, however, arguing it caused Black lasting strategic problems while avoiding the extensively analysed Ruy Lopez. It has also been advocated by Jan Timman and Sergei Rublevsky.

Analysis White aims to dominate the by exchanging the d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. Black usually plays 3...exd4, as there is no good way to maintain the pawn on e5. After the usual 3...exd4, the main line is 4.Nxd4. A common pattern is an exchange with Nxc6 bxc6, inflicting doubled pawns on Black. In the main line after 4.Nxd4, Black has two major options. 4...Bc5 and 4...Nf6 are best regarded, seen as offering Black good chances for an equal game.

Alternatively, White can play a gambit by offering Black one or two pawns in exchange for rapid , either by playing 4.Bc4, the Scotch Gambit, or 4.c3, the Göring Gambit, which has similar themes to the Danish Gambit.

Examined in this article are the following common variations: 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 (main line) 4...Bc5 (Classical Variation) 5.Be3 Qf6 (traditional line) 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 (main line) 7.g3 (fianchetto line) 7.Nc2 (Meitner Variation) 7.Qd2 (Blackburne Attack) 7.Bb5 (Paulsen Attack) 6.c3 Qg6 (Millennium Variation) 6.Nb5 Bxe3 7.fxe3 (Blumenfeld Attack) 5.Nxc6 Qf6 (Intermezzo Variation) 5.Nb3 Bb6 (Potter Variation) 5.Nb3 Bb4 (Romanishin Variation) 4...Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 (Schmidt Variation) 6.e5 (Mieses Variation) 6.Bd3 (traditional line) 6.Nd2 (Tartakower Variation) 6.Qe2 (modern line) 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 (Four Knights Game, Scotch Variation, by transposition) 4...Bb4 (Malaniuk Variation) 4...Qf6 4...Qh4 (Steinitz Variation) 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Be2 Qxe4 7.Nb5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Kd8 9.0-0 (main line) 5.Nb5 (Horwitz Attack) 4...Nxd4 5.Qxd4 (Lolli Variation, by transposition) 3...exd4 4.Bc4 (Scotch Gambit) 4...Nf6 (Two Knights Defense, Open Variation, by transposition) 4...Bc5 5.c3 Nf6 (Giuoco Piano, Classical Variation, by transposition) 5.0-0 Nf6 6.e5 (Max Lange Attack) 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 Bg4 (Cochrane-Anderssen Variation) 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 4...Bb4+ (London Defence) 4...Be7 (Hungarian Defence, by transposition) 3...exd4 4.c3 (Göring Gambit) 4...dxc3 5.Nxc3 (Göring Gambit Accepted, single pawn gambit) 5...Bb4 6.Bc4 d6 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 (main line) 5...Bb4 6.Bc4 d6 7.Qb3 (old main line) 5...Bb4 6.Bc4 Nf6 (Bardeleben Variation) 4...dxc3 5.Bc4 (Göring Gambit Accepted, double pawn gambit) 5...d6 6.Nxc3 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Ng5 Ne5 9.Bb5 c6 10.f4 (main line) 5...d6 6.Nxc3 Be6 7.Bxe6 fxe6 8.Qb3 (exchange line) 5...cxb2 6.Bxb2 (Göring Gambit Fully Accepted) 5...Bb4 (Scotch Gambit, London Defence, by transposition) 4...d5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.cxd4 Bg4 7.Be2 (Göring Gambit Declined, main line) 4...Nf6 (Ponziani Opening, by transposition) 3...exd4 4.Bb5 (Relfsson Gambit) 3...Nxd4 (Lolli Variation) 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Qxd4 (main line) 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Bc4 (Napoleon Gambit) 4.Nxe5 3...d6

Classical Variation: 4.Nxd4 Bc5

This move puts additional pressure on White's central knight (initially defended only by the queen), which must be exchanged (with 5.Nxc6), reinforced (usually with 5.Be3), or moved (usually with 5.Nb3) to avoid a loss of .

Traditional line: 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 5.Be3 reinforces the knight. Black almost always responds with 5...Qf6, adding a third attacker; White's usual response 6.c3 adds a third defender. Play then usually continues with 6...Nge7. Several seventh-move alternatives for White are possible here, most notably 7.Bc4, as well as 7.g3 (intending a kingside fianchetto), 7.Nc2, 7.Be2, 7.Qd2, and 7.Bb5.

After 7.Bc4, 7...Ne5 seems Black's strongest reply. Play usually continues 8.Be2 (White allows Ne5 with tempo to enable a potential f4 counter) Qg6 (8...d5 is also possible) 9.0-0. Here, White allows Black the option of taking the unprotected pawn on e4, but it is considered "poisoned".Chess Openings from Swedish Chess TV-program "Chess TV" – Episode 336) If 8.0-0 Bb6 and the position is roughly equal. Also common are 7...0-0 (often continuing 8.0-0 Bb6 and then 9.Na3 or 9.Nc2, among others) and 7...b6 (often continuing 8.0-0 Bb7 and then 9.Nb5, 9.f4, or 9.Nb3). It was claimed in an analysis by Alexey Sokolsky in the 1940s that 7...Ne5 followed by 8...Qg6 led to equality, and for this reason 7.Bc4 fell out of popularity until it was revived in the 1990s by Garry Kasparov, among others.

Black usually replies to 7.g3 with 7...d5, followed by 8.Bg2 dxe4 9.Nd2 Bxd4 10.cxd4 0-0 11.Nxe4 Qg6 12.0-0.

Alternative sixth moves for Black include 6...Qg6, the Millennium Variation, as well as 6...d6. White also has the option of 6.Nb5, the Blumenfeld Attack, which often continues 6...Bxe3 7.fxe3 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qxe4 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 Qxh1 (or 10...Nf6 11.Nc3 Qxh1), or Black may opt for 8...Qd8.

Alternative fifth moves for Black are uncommon but include 5...Bb6, 5...Nxd4, and 5...Bxd4. Black must avoid 5...Nf6?? as 6.Nxc6 followed by 7.Bxc5 wins the bishop. Also weak is 5...d6?, as 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bxc5 dxc5 leaves Black with tripled pawns on the c-file.

Potter Variation: 5.Nb3 Bb6 White simultaneously moves the knight to a safer square and threatens Black's bishop, which must be moved (unless Black wishes to give up the bishop pair with 5...Qe7 6.Nxc5 Qxc5). The usual response 5...Bb6 accomplishes this without impeding the development of Black's other pieces.

After 5...Bb6, White's most common response is 6.Nc3, usually intending Qe2, Be3 or Bg5, and 0-0-0. Black's most common replies are 6...Nf6, often continuing 7.Qe2 0-0 or 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4; 6...d6, often continuing 7.Qe2 Nge7 8.Be3 0-0 9.0-0-0 f5; 6...Qf6, commonly continuing 7.Qe2 Nge7 8.Be3 0-0 9.0-0-0 d6; and 6...Nge7, which typically continues similarly to the 6...d6 line.

Other options for White include 6.a4, which usually continues 6...a6 7.Nc3, with similar continuations to the lines with 6.Nc3, as well as the modern try 6.Qe2, which often ends up transposing to lines beginning with 6.Nc3 (such as after 6...d6 7.Be3 Qf6 8.Nc3), but also permits independent lines. For example, after 6...Nf6 7.e5 Nd5 8.c4 Ndb4 9.c5 Bxc5 10.Nxc5 Nd4 11.Qg4 Ndc2+, Black has given up a bishop in order to White's king and rook, while White seeks to counterattack with Qxg7.

The line is named after William Norwood Potter. It was revived in the 2000s with success by Vassily Ivanchuk and Magnus Carlsen.

Intermezzo Variation: 5.Nxc6 Qf6 Although the immediate recapture 5...bxc6 (5...dxc6 permits 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8) is playable, Black almost always continues 5...Qf6, a zwischenzug (also known as an "in-between move" or "intermezzo", hence the name of the variation). White is not able to retreat the knight from the threat of recapture on c6 because of the threat of checkmate with 6...Qxf2, allowing Black to then recapture with 6...dxc6 (or 6...Qxc6, though this is rare) rather than 6...bxc6, preventing White from inflicting an on Black. 6.Qd2 and 6.Qf3 (offering an exchange of queens) are the most common methods for White to prevent the checkmate before Black recaptures; 6.Qe2 and 6.f4 are occasionally seen.

After 6.Qd2, play usually continues 6...dxc6 7.Nc3 (or 7.Bd3). Black commonly replies with 7...Be6, often continuing 8.Na4 Rd8 9.Bd3 Bd4 10.0-0; 7...Ne7, often continuing 8.Qf4; or 7...Bd4, often continuing 8.Bd3 Ne7 9.0-0 Ng6. After 6.Qf3, Black often recaptures with the b-pawn anyway, either immediately with 6...bxc6, or after 6...Qxf3 7.gxf3 bxc6, though 6...dxc6 is still common.

Other lines Another option for relocating the knight is 5.Nf5. The most common continuation is 5...d5 6.Nxg7+ Kf8 7.Nh5 Qh4 8.Ng3 Nf6 9.Be2, leaving Black with a large lead in development, but at the cost of losing castling rights and receiving . The pawn can be regained with 9...dxe4 or 9...Nxe4, or Black may elect to continue development instead, such as with 9...Rg8. Other common fifth moves for Black include 5...d6, which has a similar common continuation, and 5...Qf6 and 5...g6, which prevent 6.Nxg7+. White may also retreat the knight to its original square with 5.Nf3. This leaves Black with an advantage in development, as unlike in the Potter Variation, no tempo is won on Black's bishop. Reinforcing the knight with 5.c3 is weak. For example, after 5...Qh4, 6.Bd3 (protecting the pawn on e4) lets Black gain material via 6...Nxd4 7.cxd4 Bxd4, as the bishop blocks White's queen's protection of the knight. After 5.Nb3, the most notable alternative move is 5...Bb4+, the Romanishin Variation. It most often continues 6.c3 Be7.

Schmidt Variation: 4.Nxd4 Nf6

The move 4...Nf6, the Schmidt Variation, was first recorded in an article by Eugen von Schmidt in the January 1865 issue of 'Schachzeitung'. Play usually continues 5.Nxc6 bxc6 (5...dxc6 allows 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8). The only notable alternative for White is 5.Nc3, which transposes to the Scotch Variation of the Four Knights Game, with the usual continuation 5...Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 c6 (or other move orders).

After 5.Nxc6 bxc6, the most common move is 6.e5, known as the Mieses Variation. In Schmidt's original analysis, he instead recommended 6.Bd3, defending the pawn on e4, which remains the second most common response today, and most often continues 6...d5, followed by either 7.exd5 cxd5 8.0-0 Be7 or 7.e5 Ng4 8.0-0 Bc5. Alternative sixth moves for White involve other methods of defending the pawn, such as 6.Nd2, the Tartakower Variation, most often continuing 6...d5 (or 6...Bc5) 7.exd5 cxd5 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Qxd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.c3; or 6.Qe2, a modern try, which has many possible replies.

Mieses Variation: 6.e5

This is a sharp variation. It has frequently been played by Garry Kasparov. After the main line 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4, Black has the options of 8...Nb6 and 8...Ba6, White's pawn on c4 to White's queen on e2. Black can also opt out of the forcing lines following 6...Qe7 with the more solid 6...Ne4 or 6...Nd5.

Jacques Mieses employed the line repeatedly at the Hastings 1895 chess tournament, including in a first-round win over Joseph Henry Blackburne; these games contributed to the variation being named after him.David Hooper / Kenneth Whyld: The Oxford Companion to Chess. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford 1996, p. 258.Horace F. Cheshire (ed.): The Hastings Chess Tournament 1895. Chatto & Windus, London 1896, pp. 167–169.

Schmidt did not prefer this line, arguing that after 8...Nb6 9.Bf4 Ba6 10.Nd2 Qb4 11.0-0-0 Rb8, Black was better, apparently assuming White would attempt to castle as soon as possible by developing the bishop to f4. The alternatives 9.Nc3, 9.Nd2, and 9.b3 (intending a queenside fianchetto) are typically played today instead.

Steinitz Variation: 4.Nxd4 Qh4

Popularised by Wilhelm Steinitz, 4...Qh4 almost wins a pawn by force, but White gets a lead in development and attacking chances as compensation. The most successful line for White has been 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Be2 Qxe4 7.Nb5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Kd8 9.0-0, from which Black's awkwardly placed king has generally proven more significant than the extra pawn.