Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
693,646 games: White 45.2% / Draw 7.2% / Black 47.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 533,488533K | ||
| Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit | 95,95096K | |
| 42,19342K | ||
| 11,31411K | ||
| 7,9367,936 | ||
| 919919 | ||
| 714714 | ||
| 300300 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qd7 9. Nxe4 Be7 10. Bg5 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 92K | |
| 1400–1799 | 163K | |
| 1800–2199 | 425K | |
| Masters, over the board | 794 |
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, Double Gambit Accepted (ECO C56, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 (5 moves).
In 693,646 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.2%, Black 47.6% and 7.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Re1, in 77% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack and Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit. In all, 3 named lines continue from it.
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, Double Gambit Accepted
6. Nc3 (Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit) scores best for White: 53.2%, with White winning 50.2% and Black 43.9% of 96K games. The most played, 6. Re1, scores 48.7% in 533K games, and 6. Nxd4 scores lowest: 44.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Re1.
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, Double Gambit Accepted peaked in 2020 at 0.031% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.027% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.026% | 9,275 |
| 2017 | 0.029% | 15,954 |
| 2018 | 0.031% | 23,954 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 33,382 |
| 2020 | 0.031% | 91,019 |
| 2021 | 0.026% | 100,682 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 95,862 |
| 2023 | 0.026% | 96,146 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 92,983 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 93,062 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,923 |
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 (2)
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted (C56)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-double-gambit-accepted