Opening to counter the Scotch

the 3 d4 line there is actually really really good for white

I know that but a by "counter" I mean a variation for the opposing side to keep some advantage or make the postion equal but finding a variation for me is not easy for me and after finding one that favours my play style i still need to memorize until the mid game which for me personally is the hard part and not playing e5 at all for the scotch is specific for me is something i can't bear to deal with

Why? Sicilian is my speciality smith morra or not i have experience and knowledge of the Sicilian defense, if they play smith morra I will simply play the morra Gambit: advanced variation.

Hi!

I find this variation a nice way of avoiding the tricky Morra gambit. Instead of trying to punish it you stay in known Sicilian territory. I play it myself too.

By the way, for anyone interested in building an opening repertoire, I wrote a few post on the subject you could check out:

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/openings-for-intermediates

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/openings-for-beginners

https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/instructive-games-i-opening-principles

Good luck!

This is the Scotch Opening : Scotch Gambit , Haxo Gambit

Try the French.

But Philidor is kinda mid tho, not bad but never been too good

the Phillidor is perfectly playable on all levels. it is generally a more semi closed, slower positional game avoiding tactics. which a Scotch player wants the opposite of. the op wanted a counter to the Scotch. Nothing is more "counter" than not playing it at all.

What I do against the Scotch is play either a6 or h6 and gambit the center pawn

heres something

that's italian gambit

but after exd4 it is haxo gambit...

sorry, just by accepting a gambit its name doesnt change

this is the french sicilian for you, then

and some time ago this was the bishops opening boi variation?

haxo gambit favors white 55:41 in 1.9m games, but more popular 4...Nf6, the Dubois Réti Defense, scores 51:45 in 2.1m 1600-2000 rated games.. that's 7-8% better results

^ Scotch Game: Classical Intermezzo Variation 40:55@147k, but it's a sideline to 5.Be3 which is slightly more popular, and favors white at 52:43 with merely = results after 5...Qf6. after 4.Bc5, stats are 49:46 at 5.8m, but the 4.Qh5 steinitz's stats are 43:52@608k... much stronger results

i'm liking there isn't a lot of move branching in all 3 scotch lines, at least before move #7. i'm also liking seeing that the goering is rare for black to face, and is in fact the strongest scotch line as I wish to play it myself in companion to the double danish. that should be a potent repertoire to replace my king's gambits

I'm glad to hear that you found a solution to your chess opening dilemma! The Sicilian Defense is a popular and flexible choice, known for creating rich and complex positions on the board. It's great that you feel comfortable and well-versed in it. Best of luck with your chess games, and I hope you have a successful and enjoyable year of chess ahead! If you ever have more questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. Have a great year too!

Play into the mainlines. The Scotch is simple and easy to play against, but neither side can get a clear advantage early on.

At least one of the main lines is practically a forced draw: http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-glass-of-scotch.html