Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
2,484,398 games: White 49.3% / Draw 4.3% / Black 46.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,498,2021.5M | ||
| Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Kingside Variation | 396,203396K | |
| 251,944252K | ||
| 179,275179K | ||
| 93,86694K | ||
| 26,60627K | ||
| 20,13920K | ||
| 6,3756,375 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.02 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Ne4 6. Qe2 Nc5 7. c3 d3 8. Qe3 Be7 9. b4 Ne6 10. O-O
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, 50% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 411K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 263K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,675 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Le, Q. L.
- Shevchenko, K. – Carlsen, M.
- Duda, J. – Aronian, L.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Vachier Lagrave, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. e5 (5 moves).
In 2,484,398 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.3%, Black 46.4% and 4.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d5, in 60% 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: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation
The most played answer, 5…d5, also scores best for Black: 54.1%, with Black winning 51.6% and White 43.4% of 1.5M games. Of the main answers, 5…Qe7 scores lowest: 32.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Ne4.
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: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.1% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.083%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.083% | 29,677 |
| 2017 | 0.097% | 53,565 |
| 2018 | 0.099% | 77,872 |
| 2019 | 0.096% | 119,547 |
| 2020 | 0.095% | 277,498 |
| 2021 | 0.089% | 346,246 |
| 2022 | 0.092% | 346,360 |
| 2023 | 0.096% | 361,198 |
| 2024 | 0.099% | 353,917 |
| 2025 | 0.1% | 354,259 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.11% | 121,476 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation (C44)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-scotch-gambit-advance-variation