Scotch Game

Scotch Game is a chess opening with the ECO code C44. It goes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... e5. After 6 moves it is White to move. After the last move Black is a pawn ahead in material. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.

The moves

• 1. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
• 1... e5 – Black plays the pawn to e5
• 2. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
• 2... Nc6 – Black plays the knight to c6
• 3. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
• 3... exd4 – Black captures on d4 with the e-pawn

In chessGM's opening book this position continues with 4. Nxd4, 4. Bc4.

About the Scotch Game

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, White plays 3.d4 at once to open the centre. It leads to open, clear positions with fast development.

• After 3...exd4 4.Nxd4, White has a strong knight in the centre.
• Black challenges with ...Bc5 or ...Nf6 and often trades knights on d4.
• After Nxc6 bxc6, Black gets a strong centre but a weaker pawn structure.

chessGM has a full course for this line: open the Scotch Game course lesson.

Related openings

• It extends: Scotch Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4)
• Continues with: Scotch Game: Göring Gambit – adds 4. c3
• Continues with: Scotch Game: Relfsson Gambit – adds 4. Bb5
• Continues with: Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit – adds 4. Bc4
• Continues with: Scotch Game – adds 4. Nxd4
• Related line: Scotch Game: Benima Defense (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4)
• Related line: Scotch Game: Cochrane Variation (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Ba5 7. e5)
• Related line: Scotch Game: Cochrane-Shumov Defense (1. 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 d5)
• Related line: Scotch Game: Göring Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3)
• Related line: Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Bardeleben Variation (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nxc3 Bb4)
• Related line: Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4)

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