Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, de Riviere Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
461,561 games: White 51.6% / Draw 4.3% / Black 44.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 301,885302K | ||
| 101,633102K | ||
| 27,60528K | ||
| 21,91322K | ||
| 2,5092,509 | ||
| 1,7761,776 | ||
| 1,4271,427 | ||
| 1,0601,060 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Nc3 d6 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. Re1 Nde5 10. Bf1 Nxd4
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 Black: Black scores 51% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 34K | |
| 1400–1799 | 248K | |
| 1800–2199 | 276K | |
| 2200 and up | 20K | |
| Masters, over the board | 47 |
Master games
- Sveshnikov, E. – Abramovic, B.
- Roos, L. – Djuric, S.
- Pridorozhni, A. – Bryzgalin, K.
- Sveshnikov, E. – Ceko, J.
- Trapl, J. – Kolev, A.
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, de Riviere Defense (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 Be7 (5 moves).
In 461,561 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.6%, Black 44.1% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. e5, in 65% of those games.
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, de Riviere Defense
The most played answer, 6. e5, also scores best for White: 55.0%, with White winning 53.0% and Black 43.1% of 302K games. Of the main answers, 6. Nxd4 scores lowest: 51.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Nxd4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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, de Riviere Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.016% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.02% (its peak: 0.024% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,273 |
| 2017 | 0.023% | 12,484 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,653 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 26,811 |
| 2020 | 0.021% | 62,175 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 70,541 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 64,754 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 62,034 |
| 2024 | 0.016% | 58,926 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 53,999 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 16,872 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, de Riviere Defense (C56)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-de-riviere-defense