Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice
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Statistics from Lichess
1,603,429 games: White 57.5% / Draw 3.3% / Black 39.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 411,697412K | ||
| 332,645333K | ||
| 203,929204K | ||
| 156,225156K | ||
| 130,183130K | ||
| 130,103130K | ||
| 76,59977K | ||
| 40,42240K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... d6 6. Nxc3 Nf6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Qc2 Ne5 9. Be2 Be7 10. Bf4
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 White: White scores 58% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 415K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 874K | |
| 2200 and up | 48K | |
| Masters, over the board | 151 |
Master games
- Nisipeanu, L. – Eljanov, P.
- Nakamura, H. – Ibragimov, I.
- Yu, Y. – Jumabayev, R.
- Mastrovasilis, D. – Graf, A.
- Ljubojevic, L. – Lombardy, W. J.
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: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 dxc3 5. Bc4 (5 moves).
In 1,603,429 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 57.5%, Black 39.2% and 3.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…cxb2, in 26% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Bardeleben Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice
5…Bb4 scores best for Black: 44.7%, with Black winning 43.1% and White 53.7% of 130K games. The most played answer, 5…cxb2, scores lowest: 38.9% in 412K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5…d6.
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
Popularity by year
The Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice has stayed between 0.058% and 0.065% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.063% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.061% | 21,910 |
| 2017 | 0.063% | 34,673 |
| 2018 | 0.058% | 45,935 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 76,152 |
| 2020 | 0.058% | 170,467 |
| 2021 | 0.06% | 235,342 |
| 2022 | 0.061% | 228,524 |
| 2023 | 0.065% | 244,417 |
| 2024 | 0.065% | 231,423 |
| 2025 | 0.063% | 219,732 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.063% | 69,228 |
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. “Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice (C44)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-goring-gambit-double-pawn-sacrifice