Tree path 7 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Normal Variation › Scotch Game › Scotch Game › Scotch Gambit › Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Normal Variation C44
- Scotch Game C44
- Scotch Game C44
- Scotch Gambit C44
- Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense C56 you are here
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense
Overview
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Janowski Defense is a gambit, classified under ECO code C56 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
The line arises from 10 plies — specifically the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O d6.
It is a variation of Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, which itself descends from the root opening King's Pawn Game.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C56
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 10
- Parent
- Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
499,858 games · White 50.0% / Draw 5.2% / Black 44.8%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nxd4 | 258,680 | |
| Re1 | 70,517 | |
| c3 | 68,423 | |
| Ng5 | 36,248 | |
| Bg5 | 27,110 | |
| e5 | 22,568 | |
| h3 | 11,460 | |
| Bb5 | 776 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:18:12
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.