Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Intermezzo Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,080,444 games: White 44.6% / Draw 5.3% / Black 50.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 382,782383K | ||
| 240,997241K | ||
| 149,600150K | ||
| 143,513144K | ||
| 89,99190K | ||
| 18,05918K | ||
| 14,08614K | ||
| 12,84313K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Qf3 bxc6 7. Nc3 Bd4 8. Be2 d6 9. Qg3 Rb8 10. O-O h5
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 59% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 227K | |
| 1400–1799 | 772K | |
| 1800–2199 | 565K | |
| 2200 and up | 70K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,344 |
Master games
- Radjabov, T. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
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
Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Intermezzo Variation (ECO C45, Open Games) is a variation of the Scotch Game: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 (5 moves).
In 1,080,444 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.6%, Black 50.1% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Qf3, in 35% of those games.
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 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Intermezzo Variation
6. Qd2 scores best for White: 53.4%, with White winning 50.7% and Black 44.0% of 150K games. The most played, 6. Qf3, scores 52.9% in 383K games, and 6. Be3 scores lowest: 41.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Qf3.
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 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Intermezzo Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.038% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.052%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.052% | 18,688 |
| 2017 | 0.055% | 30,148 |
| 2018 | 0.053% | 41,681 |
| 2019 | 0.05% | 62,944 |
| 2020 | 0.047% | 138,483 |
| 2021 | 0.042% | 163,851 |
| 2022 | 0.039% | 145,952 |
| 2023 | 0.038% | 144,068 |
| 2024 | 0.039% | 139,720 |
| 2025 | 0.038% | 133,209 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.038% | 41,302 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scotch Game: Classical Variation, Intermezzo Variation (C45)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-classical-variation-intermezzo-variation