Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Kingside Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
397,712 games: White 56.9% / Draw 3.3% / Black 39.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 175,120175K | ||
| 94,04194K | ||
| 46,89447K | ||
| 31,88432K | ||
| 15,30615K | ||
| 12,10112K | ||
| 10,04110K | ||
| 5,6605,660 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 22, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 d6 8. exd6 cxd6 9. Bg5 Nge5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7
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 Black: Black scores 43% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 111K | |
| 1400–1799 | 377K | |
| 1800–2199 | 174K | |
| 2200 and up | 13K | |
| Masters, over the board | 274 |
Master games
- Petrosian, T. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedov, R. – Inarkiev, E.
- Efimenko, Z. – Short, N. D.
- Khismatullin, D. – Inarkiev, E.
- Socko, B. – 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: Scotch Gambit, Kingside Variation (ECO C44, Open Games) is a gambit in the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, Dubois Réti Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ng4 (5 moves).
In 397,712 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.9%, Black 39.8% and 3.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 44% 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, Kingside Variation
6. Bxf7+ scores best for White: 66.7%, with White winning 65.5% and Black 32.0% of 94K games. The most played, 6. O-O, scores 59.2% in 175K games, and 6. Nxd4 scores lowest: 48.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. O-O.
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, Kingside Variation has stayed between 0.014% and 0.016% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.016% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 5,039 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,047 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,415 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 18,499 |
| 2020 | 0.015% | 45,131 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,649 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 57,650 |
| 2023 | 0.016% | 58,674 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 54,974 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 53,995 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,154 |
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, Kingside Variation (C44)”. Lichess data as of 22 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-scotch-gambit-kingside-variation