Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Göring Gambit Declined
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Statistics from Lichess
336,123 games: White 46.4% / Draw 5.8% / Black 47.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 223,935224K | ||
| 72,82773K | ||
| 8,7438,743 | ||
| 8,2088,208 | ||
| 7,8247,824 | ||
| 7,1487,148 | ||
| 4,3434,343 | ||
| 1,5261,526 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. cxd4 Bg4 7. Be2 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Qc4
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 Black: Black scores 55% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 38K | |
| 1400–1799 | 93K | |
| 1800–2199 | 219K | |
| 2200 and up | 57K | |
| Masters, over the board | 314 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Grischuk, A.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Sjugirov, S.
- Ljubojevic, L. – Portisch, L.
- Al Modiahki, M. – Van Foreest, J.
- Velimirovic, D. – Smejkal, 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: Scotch Gambit, Göring Gambit Declined (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 d5 (4 moves).
In 336,123 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 47.8% and 5.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. exd5, in 67% of those games.
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: Scotch Gambit, Göring Gambit Declined
The most played answer, 5. exd5, also scores best for White: 51.4%, with White winning 48.2% and Black 45.4% of 224K games. Of the main answers, 5. e5 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. exd5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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, Göring Gambit Declined dipped to 0.01% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.016% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 4,944 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,532 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,117 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 15,016 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 33,012 |
| 2021 | 0.01% | 40,550 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 41,806 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 45,930 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 52,790 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 57,138 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 19,426 |
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: Scotch Gambit, Göring Gambit Declined (C44)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-scotch-gambit-goring-gambit-declined