Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack 6. Bb5 Ne4
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Statistics from Lichess
921,879 games: White 45.7% / Draw 5.6% / Black 48.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 808,307808K | ||
| 69,56170K | ||
| 20,40520K | ||
| 19,07719K | ||
| 1,3661,366 | ||
| 1,2111,211 | ||
| 916916 | ||
| 330330 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. O-O Be7 10. f3 Nc5 11. f4 O-O
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 54% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 14K | |
| 1400–1799 | 171K | |
| 1800–2199 | 608K | |
| 2200 and up | 184K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,736 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Le, Q. L.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Onischuk, A.
- Ponkratov, P. – Caruana, F.
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, Max Lange Attack (ECO C56, Open Games) is a gambit in the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 (6 moves).
In 921,879 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.7%, Black 48.8% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Nxd4, in 88% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Keidansky Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6…Ne4
The most played answer, 7. Nxd4, also scores best for White: 49.3%, with White winning 46.4% and Black 47.9% of 808K games. Of the main answers, 7. O-O scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. 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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.038% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.03% (its peak: 0.042% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,864 |
| 2017 | 0.04% | 21,843 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 33,047 |
| 2019 | 0.039% | 49,136 |
| 2020 | 0.037% | 108,172 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 121,675 |
| 2022 | 0.033% | 124,323 |
| 2023 | 0.035% | 130,474 |
| 2024 | 0.036% | 129,680 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 131,609 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.041% | 45,384 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Max Lange Attack (C56)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-max-lange-attack-2