Scotch Game: Lolli Variation 4…exd4 5. Qxd4
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Statistics from Lichess
8,717,819 games: White 54.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 39.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,225,9693.2M | ||
| 1,422,6171.4M | ||
| 1,287,9461.3M | ||
| 1,184,2251.2M | ||
| 769,959770K | ||
| 297,752298K | ||
| 166,253166K | ||
| 93,57794K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.59 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... Qf6 6. Qc4 Bd6 7. Nc3 Ne7 8. Nb5 Nc6 9. Nxd6+ Qxd6 10. Bd2
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 better this line does for White: White scores 56% under 1400, 60% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8.7M | |
| 1400–1799 | 12.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 42K | |
| Masters, over the board | 110 |
Master games
- Ortiz Suarez, I. R. – Granda Zuniga, J. E.
- Kokarev, D. – Bocharov, D.
- Hansen, C. – Keitlinghaus, L.
- Minasian, A. – Anastasian, A.
- Shaked, T. – Spassky, B. V.
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 26, 2026
Overview
Scotch Game: Lolli Variation (ECO C44, Open Games) is a variation of the Scotch Game: Lolli Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Nxd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. Qxd4 (5 moves).
In 8,717,819 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.9%, Black 39.6% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d6, in 37% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5. Qxd4
5…Qf6 scores best for Black: 45.4%, with Black winning 41.9% and White 51.0% of 1.4M games. The most played, 5…d6, scores 43.7% in 3.2M games, and 5…Nf6 scores lowest: 38.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Qf6.
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
This line peaked in 2021 at 0.38% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.31% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.35% | 124,452 |
| 2017 | 0.31% | 171,420 |
| 2018 | 0.29% | 225,177 |
| 2019 | 0.32% | 403,642 |
| 2020 | 0.36% | 1,060,246 |
| 2021 | 0.38% | 1,484,875 |
| 2022 | 0.35% | 1,318,107 |
| 2023 | 0.34% | 1,272,040 |
| 2024 | 0.32% | 1,148,479 |
| 2025 | 0.31% | 1,063,391 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.29% | 320,656 |
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: Lolli Variation (C44)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-lolli-variation-2