Let's look over the second most popular variation 10.Kh1 ...Qxe4

For a more detailed look at moves 1.e4 ...e5 through 9.0-0 ... d6 please refer to our Scotch Game Introduction study:

https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/scotch-game-1

Now we'll cover the second most popular continuation in the Scotch Game, Classical variation where White plays 10.Kh1 (which breaks the pin on the pawn at g2 and sacrifices the pawn at e4 to stop Black's main threat of playing the Bishop at c8 to h3 since Black can't follow 10.Kh1 with ...Bh3? without losing the Bishop at h3 to White then playing 11.gxh3 where Black would simply be losing the Bishop without any compensation.

Black most often here takes White's pawn at e4 with his Queen at g6 ...Qxe4.

Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4, Stefanova Forced Draw Variation:

Games reaching this particular 15 move Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4, Stefanova Forced Draw Variation (by Threefold Repetition) or almost reaching it before a Draw by Agreement was reached include:

C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4, Stefanova Forced Draw Variation, 12.Bh5 Bg4 Variation:

An example game reaching this particular 16 move Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4, Stefanova Forced Draw Variation, 12.Bh5 Bg4 Variation is found here in Pavasovic, D (2590) vs Gyimesi, Z (2584), 2010:

We've covered the second most popular continuation in the Scotch Game, Classical variation where White plays 10.Kh1 and Black most often takes White's pawn at e4 with his Queen at g6 ...Qxe4.

White's most popular continuation is to play 11.Nd2 (attacking Black's Queen at e4) and Black moves his Queen back to safety at g6 with ...Qg6:

We know here that White often forces a Draw using 12.Bh5 (+0.00) attacking Black's Queen at g6.

Now we turn to a different popular option here for White to play 12.Nb5 (-0.11) attacking Black's unguarded pawn at c7:

Instead of allowing White to fork his King and Rook with 13.Nxc7+! Black most often Castles Kingside here ...0-0 which gives back the pawn at c7 in exchange for White's pawn at e4 which Black had taken earlier:

13.Nxc7 White takes the pawn at c7 with his Knight at b5 so Material is Equal and attacks Black's Rook at a8:

Black moves his Rook at a8 to safety at b8 with ...Rb8:

Notice here that Black has lost a tempo in moving the Rook to safety as it is White's turn to move. Also, White has caused some pawn damage to Black since his pawn at d6 is isolated which means it's likely that this weak pawn at d6 will eventually become difficult to maintain as a general rule.

There is an exception to Black saving his Rook to b8 and that pertains to playing against an Engine or someone who ever ventures to play the 'Deep Engine Novelty' of 13...Bxe3.

Here is a glance at the C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4 11.Nd2 Qg6 12.Nb5 0-0 13.Nxc7 Bxe3 Deep Engine Novelty:

Picking up where we left off - After 13.Nxc7 and ...Rb8 (the only Book Move made by Grandmasters, ETC.),

White has many options for move 14 and the most popular choice is 14.Bh5 (-0.33) The Pavasovic Variation introduced here as the C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4 11.Nd2 Qg6 12.Nb5 0-0 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Bh5 Pavasovic Variation; Attacking the Queen at g6 with the Bishop at h5:

Pavasovic, D (Dusko Pavasovic) is an International Grandmaster and Scotch Specialist who has more wins as White using the Scotch Game Opening than anyone on record!

The following game features Dusko Pavasovic winning a very interesting and 'Instructive Endgame' as White using the C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4 11.Nd2 Qg6 12.Nb5 0-0 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Bh5 Pavasovic Variation:

This next game features former World Champion Garry Kasparov vs International Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis USA, Round 11.2. The game follows along the C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4 11.Nd2 Qg6 12.Nb5 0-0 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Bh5 Pavasovic Variation as in Pavasovic,D (2584) vs Sakelsek, T (2479), 2007 until move 17 where Pavasovic had originally won using 17.Qxg4 (+0.00).

Kasparov instead used a Novelty of 17.Nc4 (+0.00) introduced here as the 17.Nc4 Kasparov - Nakamura Blitz Variation:

After studying the Kasparov, G vs Nakamura, H Ultimate Blitz Challenge Round 11.2 game played on 4/29/2016 we see Kasparov was winning for almost the entire game. Both players could've made better moves (since this was a Blitz game of 5 minutes + 3 seconds delay). As of the first 50 moves Kasparov was still winning the game and in fact was almost about to desively win until suddenly Kasparov played 50.h5 (a great move!) and Nakamura played the stunning ...Ne5! (also a great move!) This ...Ne5! move seemed to catch Kasparov off guard a bit and made it very difficult to convert the game into a win (especially since both players at that point had less than 20 seconds remaining (with 3 second delays). I believe at this point of the game if Kasparov had more time to calculate he likely would've found something similar to the following continuations (with variations) starting with the Novelty of 51.Rh8+ (instead of his move 51.h6 made under time pressure) and converted his game into a decisive Win instead of the actual game which resulted in a Draw:

Here is another interesting Dusko Pavasovic victory as White using the C45 Scotch Game: Classical Variation, 10.Kh1 Qxe4 11.Nd2 Qg6 12.Nb5 0-0 13.Nxc7 Rb8 14.Bh5 Pavasovic Variation:

Scotch Game

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