Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Canal Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
19,136 games: White 48.3% / Draw 9.5% / Black 42.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 8,9908,990 | ||
| 7,5667,566 | ||
| 1,4281,428 | ||
| 663663 | ||
| 271271 | ||
| 7777 | ||
| 6363 | ||
| 4646 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.36 Black is slightly better
Best play: 7... Be6 8. Bxd5 dxc3 9. Bxe4 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 cxb2 11. Bxb2 f6 12. h4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Canal Variation (ECO C56, Open Games) is a gambit in the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Nc3 (7 moves).
In 19,136 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 42.1% and 9.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…dxc4, in 47% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Canal Variation
7…Be6 scores best for Black: 53.3%, with Black winning 48.7% and White 42.1% of 1,428 games. The most played answer, 7…dxc4, scores lowest: 42.9% in 8,990 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Be6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Canal Variation (C56)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-canal-variation