Scotch Game: free opening course
With 3.d4 White opens the centre at once and gets free piece play after 3...exd4 4.Nxd4. You learn how to meet the Classical 4...Bc5, the Schmidt 4...Nf6 with the Mieses 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5, the Scotch Four Knights and the Steinitz 4...Qh4.
Key ideas
- Open the centre early: after 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 White has a pawn on e4 against Black's d-pawn and more space.
- Nxc6 often damages Black's pawns (b7xc6), and the e5 push then gains space and kicks the f6 knight.
- Against ...Bc5, the bishop is a target: Be3 and c3 neutralise it, or Nxc6 and Qd2 keep f2 safe.
- In the Mieses lines, c4 and b3 stop Black's knight from settling on d5 and keep the e5 pawn strong.
- Watch the e4 pawn: Black's queen sorties (...Qh4, ...Qf6) often target it, so keep it protected with Nc3, Bd3 or Qe2.
The 5 variations in the course
- Classical: 4...Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qd2: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 dxc6 … — White trades on c6 at once and defends f2 with Qd2, intending Nc3-a4 to hunt the c5 bishop. Kasparov's favourite way to play against 4...Bc5.
- Classical: 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 … — White defends d4 with Be3 and c3. Black puts pressure on d4 with ...Qf6 and ...Nge7; White completes development and is ready for Nb5 or f4 ideas.
- Schmidt Variation: Mieses 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 … — White trades on c6 and pushes e5, driving the f6 knight away. Black's queen pins the e5 pawn from e7, so White plays Qe2, c4 and b3 to keep the knight out of d5 and support e5.
- Scotch Four Knights: 4...Nf6 5.Nc3: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 … — White develops with 5.Nc3, Black pins it with ...Bb4, and after the exchange on c6 and ...d5, both sides open the centre. White's plan is Bg5 and Qf3, putting pressure on the f6 knight and d5.
- Steinitz Variation: 4...Qh4: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxe4+ … — Black's queen attacks e4 and f2 at once. White's best is 5.Nb5!, hitting c7, and if Black grabs the e4 pawn White gets a big lead in development while Black's king is stuck in the centre.
Traps you will learn (2)
- Steinitz: 5...Bc5 6.Qf3 Qe7? — After 4...Qh4 5.Nb5 Bc5 White's 6.Qf3 threatens both Qxf7 mate and Nxc7+. Black must find 6...Nd4; the natural 6...Qe7?, covering f7, forgets the knight fork on c7.
- Classical: the premature 5...Bxf2+? — After 4...Bc5 5.Nxc6 Black may try the 'tricky' 5...Bxf2+ 6.Kxf2 Qh4+, hoping to win back the piece with ...Qxe4 or ...Qxc4. With 7.Kg1! White keeps everything: the e4 pawn falls, but the c6 knight escapes to d4 and White is a piece up.
How the opening courses work
Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.
After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.
Questions and answers
Is the Scotch Game course free?
Yes. The Scotch Game course on chessGM is free, with all 5 variations, 2 traps, the drills and the review. There is no paid plan that unlocks more.
Who is the Scotch Game course for?
It is a course at intermediate level for White, written for players rated around 1150.
How do I practise this opening?
After each lesson, play the moves yourself in the drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them, and you can try the opening in games against the bots.