Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
438,491 games: White 45.4% / Draw 8.3% / Black 46.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 150,954151K | ||
| 146,469146K | ||
| 66,38966K | ||
| 41,03141K | ||
| 20,50821K | ||
| 4,8594,859 | ||
| 1,8571,857 | ||
| 1,6711,671 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.03 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Qd7 9. Nxe4 Be7 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Nxd4 Bd7 13. h3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 68% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 9,005 | |
| 1400–1799 | 54K | |
| 1800–2199 | 276K | |
| 2200 and up | 124K | |
| Masters, over the board | 736 |
Master games
- Dubov, D. – Giri, A.
- Jones, G. – So, W.
- Savchenko, B. – Karjakin, S.
- Wei Yi – Wen Yang
- Savchenko, B. – Andreikin, D.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack (ECO C56, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 (8 moves).
In 438,491 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.4%, Black 46.3% and 8.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Qh5, in 34% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack
8…Qd7 scores best for Black: 53.6%, with Black winning 49.0% and White 41.8% of 41K games. The most played, 8…Qh5, scores 50.7% in 151K games, and 8…Qd8 scores lowest: 48.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…Qd7.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack peaked in 2018 at 0.022% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.017% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,719 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,807 |
| 2018 | 0.022% | 17,162 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 24,400 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 58,583 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,361 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 57,024 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 59,762 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 58,303 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,798 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,773 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack (C56)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-anderssen-attack