Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
95,944 games: White 50.2% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 43,03743K | ||
| 37,72138K | ||
| 9,4209,420 | ||
| 3,9613,961 | ||
| 1,1811,181 | ||
| 232232 | ||
| 112112 | ||
| 5858 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 18, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.15 Black is better
Best play: 6... dxc3 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ Kf6 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Qxe4 Kf7 11. Bg5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit (ECO C56, Open Games) is a gambit in the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Double Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Nc3 (6 moves).
In 95,944 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.2%, Black 43.9% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nxc3, in 45% 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, Nakhmanson Gambit
The most played answer, 6…Nxc3, also scores best for Black: 52.1%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 44.2% of 43K games. Of the main answers, 6…dxc3 scores lowest: 38.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…dxc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Nakhmanson Gambit (C56)”. Lichess data as of 18 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/italian-game-scotch-gambit-nakhmanson-gambit