Scotch Game: Potter Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
821,009 games: White 51.9% / Draw 4.6% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 756,748757K | ||
| 16,91617K | ||
| 14,10614K | ||
| Scotch Game: Romanishin Variation | 13,44213K | |
| 7,0027,002 | ||
| 4,8154,815 | ||
| 2,3072,307 | ||
| 1,7051,705 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Bb6 6. Qe2 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg5 Nd4 9. Qd2 Nxb3 10. axb3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 48K | |
| 1400–1799 | 260K | |
| 1800–2199 | 522K | |
| 2200 and up | 122K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,067 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Nakamura, H.
- Wang, H. – Aronian, L.
- Carlsen, M. – Bacrot, E.
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: Potter 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. Nb3 (5 moves).
In 821,009 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 43.5% and 4.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Bb6, in 92% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Scotch Game: Romanishin Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Scotch Game: Potter Variation dipped to 0.027% of Lichess games in 2022 and has recovered since: 0.035% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.033% | 11,694 |
| 2017 | 0.033% | 18,285 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 28,352 |
| 2019 | 0.034% | 42,017 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 98,813 |
| 2021 | 0.028% | 107,606 |
| 2022 | 0.027% | 103,015 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 114,263 |
| 2024 | 0.034% | 121,983 |
| 2025 | 0.035% | 119,909 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.037% | 40,799 |
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: Potter Variation (C45)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-potter-variation