Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
499,858 games: White 50.0% / Draw 5.2% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 258,680259K | ||
| 70,51771K | ||
| 68,42368K | ||
| 36,24836K | ||
| 27,11027K | ||
| 22,56823K | ||
| 11,46011K | ||
| 776776 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.37 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Nxd4 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. h3 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Be6 10. Re1 Bxc4
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 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 52K | |
| 1400–1799 | 224K | |
| 1800–2199 | 320K | |
| 2200 and up | 37K | |
| Masters, over the board | 81 |
Master games
- Sulskis, S. – Vidit, S.
- Heberla, B. – Bartel, M.
- Pijpers, A. – Nikolic, P.
- Muzychuk, M. – Stefanova, A.
- Hajnal, Z. – Sandipan, C.
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, Janowski 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 d6 (5 moves).
In 499,858 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.0%, Black 44.8% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nxd4, in 52% 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, Janowski Defense
6. Ng5 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 54.6% and Black 41.8% of 36K games. The most played, 6. Nxd4, scores 54.3% in 259K games, and 6. Bg5 scores lowest: 47.7%. 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, Janowski Defense peaked in 2018 at 0.023% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.018% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,770 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,380 |
| 2018 | 0.023% | 17,702 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 25,282 |
| 2020 | 0.022% | 63,650 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 74,495 |
| 2022 | 0.019% | 72,395 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 69,385 |
| 2024 | 0.019% | 66,842 |
| 2025 | 0.018% | 63,998 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 20,223 |
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, Janowski Defense (C56)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-janowski-defense