Scotch Game

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Scotch Game
Moves	1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
ECO	C44
Origin	1750
Named after	Scotland
Parent	Open Game
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The Scotch Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. d4

Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni practice d’anonimo Autore Modense (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.^[1] The opening received its name from a correspondence match in 1824 between Edinburgh and London. Popular in the 19th century, by 1900 the Scotch had lost favor among top players because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow Black to equalize without difficulty. More recently the Scotch has regained some popularity and it has been used by grandmasters Kasparov and Timman as a surprise weapon to avoid the well-analyzed Ruy Lopez.

White aims to dominate the center by exchanging his d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. Black usually plays 3...exd4, as he has no good way to maintain his pawn on e5 (this same position can be reached by transposition from the Centre Game 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6). After 3...d6, White is better after 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Bc4, or he may simply play 4.Bb5, when 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 transposes to the Steinitz Defense to the Ruy Lopez.

3...Nxd4 is possible, though rarely played today by strong players. It was popular in the 19th century, and receives five columns of analysis in Freeborough and Ranken's opening manual Chess Openings Ancient and Modern (3rd ed. 1896 p.53). It is often described today as a strategic error, since after 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Qxd4 (5.Bc4 is the Napoleon Gambit) White's queen stands on a central square, and is not developed too early since it cannot be chased away very effectively (5...c5? is a seriously weakening move that blocks Black's king's bishop). Nonetheless, the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (volume 3, 3rd edition 1997, p.251 n.28, referring to p.252 line 1) concludes that Black equalizes with 5...Ne7 6.Bc4 Nc6 7.Qd5 Qf6 8.0-0 Ne5 9.Be2 c6 10.Qb3 Ng6 11.f4 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 d6. Similarly, Harald Keilhack concludes in Knight on the Left: 1.Nc3 (p.21) that although ...Nxd4 is a "non-line" these days, if Black continues perfectly it is not clear that White gets even a small advantage. Keilhack analyzes 5.Qxd4 d6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bg5 c6 10.a4 Qa5 11.Bh4 and now after 11...Qe5 or 11...Be6, "White has at most this indescribable nothingness which is the advantage of the first move." (Id. p.25) The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings also concludes that Black equalizes after the alternative 4.Nxe5 Ne6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 d6 8.Nd3 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 d5 (p.251 n.28).

After the usual 3...exd4, White can respond with the main line 4.Nxd4 or can play a gambit by offering Black one or two pawns in exchange for rapid development.

Main variations

Main line 4.Nxd4

Scotch Gambit 4.Bc4

Göring Gambit 4.c3

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4, the most important continuations are

• 4.Nxd4 (Main Line)
  • 4...Bc5
  • 4...Nf6
  • 4...Qh4!? (Steinitz)
• 4.Bc4 (Scotch Gambit)
• 4.c3 (Göring Gambit)

Main Line

In the main line after 4.Nxd4, Black has three major options. Either 4...Bc5 or 4...Nf6 offers Black good chances for an equal game.

4...Bc5

After 4...Bc5 White has 5. Nxc6, 5. Be3, or 5. Nb3. After 5. Nxc6 play almost always continues 5...Qf6 (Black does not lose a piece on c6 because he is threatening mate with 6...Qxf2) 6. Qd2 dxc6 7. Nc3. On 5. Be3 play almost always continues 5...Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 as proposed by IM Gary Lane in Winning with the Scotch. On 5. Nb3 play almost always continues 5...Bb6 6. a4 a6 7. Nc3. Another plan for White is to play 6. Nc3, followed by (in some order) Qe2, Bd3, h4 and castling long. Furthermore, 5. Be3 is also playable and was frequently used by Kasparov and usually promises white some good chances. Black's most common move in reply is 5...Qf6 where play continues 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 0-0 8. 0-0 Bb6 where the position is roughly equal.

4...Nf6

After 4...Nf6 White has 5. Nxc6 or 5. Nc3 (the Scotch Four Knights Game). After 5. Nc3 almost always played is 5... Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Bg5 c6. After 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 is also very common. Where these main lines end, the first real opening decisions are made, which are too specific for this survey.

4...Qh4!?

Steinitz's 4...Qh4!? almost wins a pawn by force, but White gets a lead in development and attacking chances as compensation. As of 2005, White's most successful line has been 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Be2 Qxe4 7.Nb5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Kd8 9.0-0, when Black's awkwardly placed king has generally proven more significant than his extra pawn.

Scotch Gambit

Instead of 4.Nxd4, White has two ways to offer a gambit. The Scotch Gambit (which is the line recommended by GM Lev Alburt in his book Chess Openings for White, Explained) starts with 4.Bc4. Black can transpose into the Two Knights Defense with 4...Nf6 or he can continue the Scotch with 4...Bc5 5.c3 and now 5...Nf6 will transpose into a safe variation of the Giuoco Piano. Black can instead accept the gambit with 5...dxc3 but this is riskier because White will gain a lead in development. A possible continuation is 6.Nxc3 (the main alternative, favoured by Grandmaster Sveshnikov, is 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qd5+ followed by 8.Qxc5) 6...d6 7.Bg5 (7.Qb3 is dubious as 7...Qd7 8 Nd5 Nge7 9 Qc3 0–0 10 0–0 Nxd5! 11 exd5 Ne5 12 Nxe5 dxe5 13.Qxe5 Bd6 is good for Black, but 7.0-0 may also be good) 7...Nge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Nd5.

Göring Gambit

The Göring Gambit is a relative of the Danish Gambit that starts with 4.c3. Black can equalise by transposing to the Danish declined with 4...d5, sometimes referred to as the Capablanca Variation in view of the strength of Black's concept in the game Marshall-Capablanca, Lake Hopatcong 1926. Alternative ways of declining include 4...Nf6 (answering 5.e5 with either 5...Nd5 or 5...Ne4), 4...d3 and the relatively unexplored 4...Nge7 intending 5...d5.

If Black accepts the gambit with 4...dxc3, White can then transpose into the Danish by offering a second pawn with 5.Bc4 cxb2 6.Bxb2. Play often continues 6...d6 7.0-0 Be6 8.Bxe6 fxe6 9.Qb3 Qd7 or 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Bc3 Nh6. 6...Bb4+ is the main alternative for Black, whereupon an approach with queenside castling is considered dangerous for Black, e.g. 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Qc2 d6 9.0-0-0. Alternatively, Black often declines the second pawn with 5...d6, usually leading to complications after 6.Nxc3 Nf6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Ng5 Ne5. To remain in the Göring proper, White recaptures with 5.Nxc3, committing to sacrificing only one pawn, whereupon Black's most popular defences are 5...Bb4 6.Bc4 d6, and 5...d6 leading to the same variations as 4...dxc3 5.Bc4 d6.

The oldest game with the Göring Gambit might be Meek-Morphy, 1st USA Congress New York 1857.^[2] Carl Theodor Göring started playing it in 1872. Note that Göring himself always played the double gambit with 5.Bc4, thus adding more confusion to the nomenclature. Ljubomir Ljubojevic played it a couple of times, but before he became a grandmaster.

The Göring Gambit is not popular at master level, as its soundness is open to question and Black also has the equalising option 4...d5, but it remains popular at club level where it gives White reasonable practical chances. It is recommended to study the Göring Gambit in connection with the Danish.

See also

• List of chess openings
• List of chess openings named after places

Notes

References

• Lane, Gary (1993). Winning with the Scotch. Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-8050-2940-0. 
• Lane, Gary. (2005). The Scotch Game Explained, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-8940-5.

Further reading

The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory has a page on the topic of Scotch Game

• Wells, Peter (1998). The Scotch Game. Sterling. ISBN 978-0713484663. 
• Gutman, Lev (2001). 4... Qh4 in the Scotch Game. Batsford. ISBN 0713486074.