Weekly Opening Exploration: The Scotch

This is the scotch game. It is an alternative to openings like the Italian and Rúy Lopez. It is generally less well analysed so grand masters like Garry Kasparov have used this to bring their opponents out of the book.

As you can see from the chess diagram, the Scotch Game is characterized by White pushing d2-d4 on his third move, instead of developing the light squared bishop, as is more common in most games

Why play the Scotch Game?

White's idea behind playing d2-d4 from early on is to achieve harmonious development and take control over the centre;

It offers logical and natural development of the pieces, and many chances to grab an advantage from early on without having to memorize long lines;

The Scotch Opening does not have as much opening theory as the Ruy López or the Italian Game;

Being less played, it is more likely you will find unprepared opponents – this opening is often neglected by 1…e5 players who believe they will find other openings in the great majority of their games.

How does Black reply to 3.d4?

After the introductory moves of the Scotch Game:

Black’s main move is to take on d4 immediately, as shown by the diagram below

This move is the only one that makes sense in this position. As mentioned in the previous section, White’s idea by playing d2-d4 is to achieve full central control from early on so black tries to disrupt the potential central dominance by playing 3...exd4. Now, White has two main options, which we will now cover in detail:

• 4. Bc4 (The Scotch Gambit);
• 4. Nxd4 (main line).

The Scotch Gambit is an element of surprise. Instead of taking back on d4, which, as we will soon see, is the most natural move in the position, White sacrifices a pawn. However, surprising your opponent is not the only aim of this gambit: there is clear logic behind it.

The idea behind giving away this pawn is to obtain rapid development and put immediate pressure on the f7 pawn.

White also has the idea of challenging Black’s pawn with c2-c3. This frees the d5 square for the Queen to join the attack, so Black must be careful and know what he is doing when facing this gambit.

There are two main replies for Black against this gambit, and we are going to see each of them separately.

4…Be7

4…Bc5

a) 4...Be7

This is perhaps the quieter approach to the gambit. Certainly, many players who have never faced this line before will feel inclined to develop their pieces rather modestly, but with some harmony.

4…Be7 is a logical move, though it isn’t as ambitious as other alternatives.

White is faced with a choice here. He can opt to play 5.Nxd4, which will lead to a few moves such as:

The material is even again in this position, and the pieces are naturally placed for both sides. However, White’s pieces are more active here, due to Black’s Bishop on e7 restrained by the d-pawn.

Here is a rough summary of how this position should be played:

• White’s plans
  • Play h2-h3, to allow the dark-squared Bishop to be developed to the e3 square without being chased by Nf6-g4;
  • Play Rf1-e1, freeing the f1 square for the c4 Bishop;
  • Play f2-f4 and g2-g4, launching a Kingside attack. (Please note that although this plan may seem rather dangerous, White will be safe as long as he keeps his King on the h1 square, away from the a7-g1 diagonal that will open after the move f2-f4. Castling Queenside, which may seem like a tempting alternative in terms of attacking, allows Black to find counterplay by attacking on that side of the board himself, with a6-b5.)

• Black’s plans
  • Place a Knight on e5, allowing the c-pawn to move to c6 and attacking the c4 Bishop with b5
  • Play c6-b5 and proceed to expand on the Queenside. This makes sense since many of White’s pieces are placed there, and Black wants to gain space and tempi on these pieces;
  • Play Rf8-e8 in order to free the f8 square for the dark-squared Bishop, from where it can effectively protect the g7-square and, in consequence, Black’s King.

b) 4…Bc5

However, you must keep one thing in mind: if your goal is to play this variation, you should be well-prepared in the Italian Game. Not only the Bishops on c4 and c5 resemble these positions, but also most of these lines end up directly transposing into this opening.

This is one of the aces you can have up your sleeve playing White. If you are well-prepared in both the Scotch Game and the Italian Game, you may try to swing your opponent between these two openings and catch him underprepared.

Normally, a direct transposition to the main line of the Italian Game follows, after the following moves:

If black doesn't capture the d pawn with exd4, White may have the chance to push d4-d5 or play dxe5 and establish a great control of the central squares, while also gaining a lot of space.

For instance, if Black plays a move like d7-d6 – seemingly supporting the e5 pawn, White can choose between d4-d5 or dxe5 in order to claim an advantage:

As you can see, this position is far easier to play with the White pieces. The central pawns are well-supported and grant White a very comfortable spatial advantage.

Another way of playing is to open up the centre with 4.dxe5.

Despite having lost the central control, White has achieved something equally significant: Black’s King is now misplaced and has lost the right to castle. White is further ahead in development and has an advantageous position. You may think that this position has a tendency for being drawish just because many pieces have been snapped off the board already. However, playing this with Black is a real challenge, because White will consistently try to find ways to put more pressure on the f7 pawn and attack the exposed King with his Rooks.

As you may conclude after seeing these variations, the truth is that 3…d6 is a playable move – but 3…exd4 is what you should be playing if you want to have real chances of fighting for the full point. Black must take on d4 in order to fight for the advantage and make life harder for White.

If you are planning on playing the Scotch Game with the White pieces, please note that playing 3…d6 is one of those imprecisions that many unprepared opponents will feel inclined to make – so you need to be ready to grab the advantage with precise play!

• White’s plans
  • Play with the isolated Queen’s pawn and put pressure on the light squares with Qd1-b3;
  • Control the open e-file;
  • Avoid exchanging pieces and getting into an endgame.

• Black’s plans
  • Play d7-d5 and attack White’s isolated pawn on d4
  • Exchange pieces in order to reach an endgame in which the d4 pawn will reveal itself as a weakness;
  • Play Nc6-a5 to attack White’s Bishop, forcing it to retreat and lose time.

Thank you for reading the Weekly Opening Exploration. If you liked this, check out my other blogs and comment below what you want next weeks opening to be.