Italian Game: Scotch Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O
What Is The Scotch Gambit?
By castling instead of recapturing on d4, White treats the pawn as bait: the rook arrives on e1, and e4-e5 comes with tempo against the f6 knight. That single push is the whole gambit. Against 5...Bc5 6.e5 d5 you get the Max Lange Attack, where White's pieces pour down the open e-file while Black's extra pawn sits idle on d4.
Black avoids the Max Lange with 5...Nxe4, and after 6.Re1 d5 White answers 7.Nc3, the Nakhmanson Gambit, sacrificing the bishop to blow open the centre. Games are decided by development speed, not material. Return the pawn, castle, and neutralise the e-file, and Black's structure is sound. Play greedily and the king stays in the centre for one move too long, which is all White needs.
How Do You Beat The Italian Game: Scotch Gambit?
You are Black and the field splits: 38% play 5...Nxe4, 28% 5...Bc5 and 15% 5...d6. White has castled with a pawn already invested, so every move you spend not developing is a move White spends attacking.
Taking a second pawn with the king in the centre is how these games end early, so develop first and count material later. 5...Bc5 and 5...d6 both get on with it and leave White to prove the compensation. If you do take on e4, know the follow-up rather than working it out at the board. White scores 54% to 40% over 368 games, the sharpest gap in this family, which is what an unprepared defender looks like in the numbers.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 42% | 719 | |
| O-O | 25% | 432 | |
| Nxd4 | 15% | 254 | |
| Ng5 | 10% | 164 |
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nxe4 | 38% | 165 | |
| Bc5 | 28% | 122 | |
| d6 | 15% | 66 | |
| Be7 | 9% | 37 |
The Named Lines Of The Scotch Gambit
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Janowski Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O d6 |
| Max Lange Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 |
| de Riviere Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 |
| Double Gambit Accepted | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 |
| Walbrodt-Baird Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.O-O |
| Nakhmanson Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Nc3 |
| Max Lange Attack, Spielmann Defense | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 Ng4 |
| Canal Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Nc3 |
| Anderssen Attack | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 |
| Max Lange Attack Accepted | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.fxg7 |
| Max Lange Attack, Long Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 Qd5 10.Nc3 Qf5 11.Nce4 |
| Anderssen Attack, Main Line | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Nxe4 6.Re1 d5 7.Bxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.Nxe4 Be6 10.Bd2 Qd5 11.Bg5 |