Scotch Game: Paulsen Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
126,882 games: White 46.1% / Draw 5.5% / Black 48.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 44,64445K | ||
| 25,72726K | ||
| 16,75017K | ||
| 13,24713K | ||
| 7,0047,004 | ||
| 6,3166,316 | ||
| 4,2804,280 | ||
| 3,8053,805 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... d6 8. O-O O-O 9. f4 Bb6 10. Nc2 d5 11. e5 Qh6 12. Qe2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Scotch Game: Paulsen Attack (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. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5 (7 moves).
In 126,882 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.1%, Black 48.4% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…O-O, in 35% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Scotch Game: Paulsen, Gunsberg Defense.
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: Paulsen Attack
7…Bb6 scores best for Black: 56.5%, with Black winning 53.5% and White 40.5% of 13K games. The most played, 7…O-O, scores 50.7% in 45K games, and 7…Nxd4 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scotch Game: Paulsen Attack (C45)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-paulsen-attack