Opening family
Scotch Game Lines and Variations
The Scotch Game family contains 53 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO C44 to C45. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White opens the center early and asks Black to solve development problems immediately.
Black
Black should use piece activity to compensate for the early central tension and avoid passive recaptures.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- C44 · Scotch Game
- C44 · Scotch Game
- C44 · Scotch Game: Lolli Variation
- C44 · Scotch Game: Göring Gambit
- C44 · Scotch Game: Relfsson Gambit
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit
- C45 · Scotch Game
- C44 · Scotch Game: Benima Defense
- C44 · Scotch Game: Haxo Gambit
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Göring Gambit Declined
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, London Defense
- C45 · Scotch Game: Classical Variation
- C45 · Scotch Game: Malaniuk Variation
- C45 · Scotch Game: Schmidt Variation
- C45 · Scotch Game: Steinitz Variation
- C44 · Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice
- C44 · Scotch Game: Lolli Variation
- C44 · Scotch Game: Napoleon Gambit
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation
- C44 · Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Sarratt Variation
- C45 · Scotch Game: Alekhine Gambit
- C45 · Scotch Game: Braune Variation
- C45 · Scotch Game: Fraser Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Qd2 d5 8. Nb5 Bxe3 9. Qxe3 O-O 10. Nxc7 Rb8 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Nb4 — Scotch Game: Gottschall Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Nxc3 d6 6. Bc4 Bg4 7. O-O Ne5 8. Nxe5 Bxd1 9. Bxf7+ Ke7 10. Nd5# — Scotch Game: Sea-Cadet Mate
- 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 — Scotch Game: Cochrane-Shumov Defense
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6 8. Ng5 O-O 9. e5 Nxe5 — Scotch Game: Hanneken Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Kd8 8. O-O Bxd2 9. Nxd2 Qg6 — Scotch Game: Rosenthal Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxe4+ 7. Be2 Kd8 8. O-O Bxd2 9. Qxd2 — Scotch Game: Horwitz Attack, Blackburne Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 Nd8 — Scotch Game: Paulsen, Gunsberg Defense
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Ba5 7. e5 — Scotch Game: Cochrane Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Qd2 — Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Blackburne Attack
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Nc2 — Scotch Game: Meitner Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 — Scotch Game: Paulsen Attack
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nxc3 Bb4 — Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Bardeleben Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 Bg4 — Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Cochrane-Anderssen Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Qg6 — Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Millennium Variation
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Qh5 — Scotch Game: Vitzthum Attack
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4 5. Nb5 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 — Scotch Game