Scotch Game: Complete Guide

White meets 1...e5 with an early 3.d4 — trading center pawns for open lines and rapid piece activity instead of the slow buildup of the Italian or Ruy Lopez. Drill every main line against an adaptive engine, backed by real Lichess win rates and Stockfish evaluations.

25 variations 170,306,186 total games Avg Stockfish +0.78

Play the main line: Scotch Game

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All 25 variations of the Scotch Game

Openings & Plans Scotch Game ECO C45 58M games Anti-Openings Scotch Game ECO C45 58M games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: exd4 ECO C45 32M games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation ECO C45 6M games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: d6 ECO C45 4M games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: Be3 ECO C45 1M games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Lolli Variation ECO C44 1M games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Nxd4 ECO C45 1M games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Lolli Variation: Nxd4 ECO C44 1M games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: Nxc6 ECO C45 904K games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: f6 ECO C45 779K games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Nf6 ECO C45 752K games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: Bb4+ ECO C45 541K games Openings & Plans Scotch: Steinitz Variation ECO C45 512K games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: Qf6 ECO C45 254K games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: Nb3 ECO C45 236K games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: Bc5 ECO C45 168K games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: Qe7 ECO C45 148K games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: Nf3 ECO C45 113K games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: c3 ECO C45 109K games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: d5 ECO C45 59K games Anti-Openings Scotch Game: f5 ECO C45 46K games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Lolli Variation: Nxe5 ECO C44 26K games Openings & Plans Scotch: Classical Variation: Nf5 ECO C45 7K games Openings & Plans Scotch Game: Bd6 ECO C45 2K games

Frequently asked questions about the Scotch Game

What is the scotch in chess?

The Scotch is a chess opening family with 25 variations covered on Chessy. Over 170 million Lichess games have reached these positions across all rating levels.