Opening Power Rankings: The Scotch Game!

I AM BACK!
Welcome!  I'm back today with a NEW series: Opening Power Rankings!  Every time I post for this series, I will analyze and give my thoughts for one opening every episode.  At the end, I will give my overall ranking.  I will also play bots with the openings to show you guys how they work, with statistics on the win percentage, etc

The criteria for the openings will be Tactics/Tricks/Traps, Simplicity, Space/Flexibility, and King Safety.  I will also recommend what level each opening is designed to.  Hopefully by the end, we will have a giant leaderboard of openings!  Let's dive right in!

Agenda

1. Tactics/Tricks/Traps

2. Simplicity

3. Space/Flexibility

4. King Safety

5. Bot Games

6. Variations and What To Prepare For

7. Statistics

8. Pros and Cons

9. Overall Ranking (Openings Leaderboard)

10. Outro

Tactics/Tricks/Traps

For those of you who know the Scotch Game well, you probably know that it is VERY SIMPLE!  It is also a very easy-to-play opening, very easy to grasp if you are a beginner, and even at high levels it still works great!

Above is a diagram of how to Scotch game starts.  

One of the biggest benefits of the Scotch Game is that it is hard to mess up the opening as white.  Just develop your pieces, castle, and you're chilling.  AND, if your opponent doesn't know anything, they can fall into this trap...

Black ends up in a terrible position.  This can happen quite frequently since it is a very popular line and easy to fall into trap.  Here is my conclusion for Tactics/Traps/Tricks

Finally, white has many gambits, which if black is not careful, can cost them the game.

Scotch Game tactics/tricks/traps: Very Low (2/10)

Simplicity

Like I said before, the Scotch Game is an extremely simple opening.  It focuses on all of the basic opening fundamentals: developing knights and bishops, castling, pawns in the center of the board.  Below is a diagram of a typical Scotch Game.

Your positions in the Scotch might look different, but all of them should be following this kind of theme.

While the Scotch Game doesn't have a lot of variations, don't be fooled, it is NOT a beginners opening, it is a very versatile opening, full of activity for white, and black!  

The Scotch Game IS a simple opening, however, there are some fun sideline gambits that white can use to throw black off their rhythm and theory.  Some of these include the Scotch Gambit, and the Goring Gambit, both of them very hard for black to play against.  If you want to see some of the lines of the Scotch Game, feel free to skip ahead to Part 6!  

Scotch Game simplicity: 9/10 (very high)

Space/Flexibility

This is one of the biggest advantages of the Scotch Game... SPACE!  Some people underestimate how crucial space is in chess, its a HUGE aspect!  With more space, you can maneuver your pieces around more efficiently, launch attacks more effectively, and the chances are, your opponents are much more likely to crack under the pressure.  By playing this opening, you can almost guarantee yourself more space, which is one of the reasons why it is one of the most easy openings to play in chess.  

General Chess Rule: if you control more than half the board with your pieces, then you have more space than your opponent.

Space can also be referred to by who has more control over the 4 central squares, or the 16 squares on the 4th and 5th ranks.  One reason white always has more space in the Scotch Game is because white moves first, and gets pawns in the center of the board before black.  Having the first move is a good advantage to have in chess.  Another reason is because in this opening, white tends to dictate what kind of game is played.  White can go for an aggressive Scotch Gambit, or white can play the Scotch Game: Classical Variation, and play a free flowing game.  On top of all of that, white usually has an open d-file, which can be used to double the rooks and create a monster attack on.

While I probably didn't play the game out accurately, that is kind of a model to show whites attack on the d-file.  If you look at the position above, do you think white or black has an easier position to play.  Probably white.  Based on my information, here is my conclusion on this segment.

Scotch Game space/flexibility: 8/10 (pretty high)

King Safety

King Safety is 100% one of the most important parts of chess.  If you don't protect your king then you will obviously lose.  As we all know, to protect your king, you must castle your king, and make sure that the opponent cannot attack our king.  Now you might think: "How does an opening decide how much king safety you have?"  Well, it actually can.  While in some openings, you can be up two pawns, but have bishops crossing your position up, in others, you can have a position that is equal in material, but your king is completely safe.

AGAIN, the Scotch Game excels in this category.  As long as you don't do anything dumb, your king should be pretty safe.  Below are some ideal castle formations.

In both of the diagrams, the pieces protect the king like a shield.  The Scotch Game is a very ideal and normal opening, so having these kind of positions when you castle is normal.  It makes it much harder for your opponent to launch attacks on your king.  In the Scotch, you hardly have doubled pawns, especially on your kingside.  You will almost never have a backward pawn in the Scotch.  You will almost always have pieces around your king in the Scotch.

Let's take a look at a Scotch Gambit line.

Let's look at another

In both of these diagrams, white has a very safe king, and slightly more active pieces.  A perfect position, if you ask me.  With a safer king, you can craft more plans, and have the freedom of creating more attacks.

Scotch Game king safety: 8/10 (pretty high)

Bot Games!

In this segment, I will be playing against very high rated bots 2400+ rating using the Scotch Game every time.  Hopefully the formations and game patterns will be instructive, and hopefully it will be funny watching me get humiliated by bots.

1st Game vs. GM Irina Krush

Close game, she had more space, and in the endgame I cracked.

Too strong for me, he dominated the queen and pawn endgame.

I should have beat GothamChess, but it slipped through my fingers and it ended as a draw.

Wesley destroyed me.

Variations and What to Prepare For

The good news is that when you play the Scotch Game, there are not that many lines that the  opponent can respond with that are actually good.  If they do something else, then it is not very good.  Here are most of the variations that are good to be prepared for if you choose to start playing this opening.

Scotch Opening: Schmidt Variation

There are many ways to respond to Nf6 as white.  The most popular, and best response is shown in the diagram below.

While after 6. e5, Nd5 might look like a safe option, but this gives white huge spacial advantages after 7. c4.  Black is forced to move the knight yet again.  Below is the best response to 6. e5 as black.

Above: Scotch Game, Mieses Variation

While we could go even further into opening theory, I think it is best to stop here.  8. Ba6 is the best reply however.  After that, just go 9. b3 and proceed with development, putting the c1 bishop on b2, going g3, and putting the other bishop on g2, and if you can during some point of that sequence, castle.  You will hardly need to go that far in your games, so don't worry about remembering all of that unless you are a very high rated player.  

Please note that going 5. Nxc6 is the only "real" option for white that works.  The other options are slightly worse and much more likely to get you into trouble.  Let's move into the next line.

The Four Knights Scotch

The Four Knights Scotch is basically The Four Knights Game, except you delay playing d4.  All of the knights are developed on f3, c6, c3, and f6 before launching and playing d4.  Here is a diagram below demonstrating the variation.

As you can see, now white plays d4.  The most common, and best response is to go exd4, and the follow-up should be 5. Nxd4.  The most classical response to this is to go 5. Bb4, pinning the knight on c3.  Then go 6. Nxc6, Bd3, and castle.

Above is a typical setup with The Four Knights Scotch

BUT

what if they don't go 5. Bb4?  What if they go 5. Bc5 instead?  Just respond with 6. Be3.  If they do anything else besides those two, it will be a inaccuracy or bad move and you can respond by developing normally and castling.

Scotch Game: Classical Variation

Definitely one of the variations of the Scotch worth learning.  It is super common, so to play the Scotch you will need to know how to fend off this line.  Below is it diagram of how it begins.

Black puts pressure on the knight on d4 with the dark squared bishop and knight on c6.  The best option is to go 5. Be3, defending the knight, and if 6. Qf6, you can simply go 7. c3.  However, there are other playable lines, such as the Potter Variation, 5. Nb3, attacking the placed bishop on c5.

Those are some of the most common lines of the Scotch.  If you want to make this your main course opening then you must study some more lines.

The Scotch Gambit

A tricky opening indeed.  The game starts as a normal Scotch game does with 3. d4, but after black goes 3. exd4, white DOESN'T retake the pawn with the knight!!!  Instead, white goes Bc4, completely ignoring the free pawn they can take.  The great part of this opening is that you get a great attack, and most likely you retake the pawn in the future.

If they try to hang onto the pawn (shown above), don't be afraid to go c3, and give away another pawn!  You don't have to take back until they take on b2!  Your bishops are amazing, the king is under fire, and you are way ahead on development!  The downside of this opening is that you are down on material, and if the opponent is able to stop your attack, you will probably lose the game, but if you are up for the risk, then go for it!  

Another common line is shown below...

The only good move after e5 is to counterattack your c4 bishop with d5, and then YOU MUST go Bb5 the next move.  ALL the other options are bad.  

But if the opponent doesn't find d5, and goes for example: Ng8, then castle, retake the pawn, and develop pieces as normal.

Scotch Game: Goring Gambit

Another gambit!  And a fun one too.  This is basically a Danish Gambit, but first you put the knight on f3.  It goes like this...

After they go 4. dxc3, you can either retake immediately with the knight, or go 4. Bc4, inviting the opponent to take another pawn.  

Either way, try to go for an attack.  In the Goring Gambit line where you take on c3, you probably get the pawn back anyway, but in the full gambit, go for a full scale attack, using the e-pawn as a shield, and bringing all the pieces to the enemy king.

Statistics

Please note these are Master Games!

https://www.chess.com/explorer?moveList=e4+e5+Nf3+Nc6+d4&ply=5&origMoves=e4+e5

Click/Tap the link to find all of the win percentages for each line of the Scotch Game!  Almost all of them favor white, but that is normal, white wins the majority of chess games.

Overall, all lines and variations.

Pros and Cons!

Pros...

1. Lots of space, versatile opening.

2. Easy to play, super simple.

3. Develops pieces, shows good opening principals.

4. Not that many lines to remember.

5. Hard for black to defend e5 square.

Cons...

1. e4 pawn can be hard to defend.

2. It does not have to intensity that some players might need.

3. The white knight has to be defended and moved around a lot.

4. Bishop on c5 can be annoying sometimes for white.

Overall Rating/Openings Leaderboard!

After looking at the Scotch Game and learning a lot, I rate this opening a 8.1/10.  It is a great opening, you can play it if you are a complete beginner, or at the top level.   It is easy to remember compared to other openings, simply a awesome opening.  The only thing that could make it perfect is it you didn't have to focus on the f3 knight so much and if there were more traps for the opponent to fall into.  I did a lot of research on this opening while I was making this, so I might start playing it myself!  The leaderboard is below...

Opening Power Rankings! 

1. Scotch Game: 8.1/10

Outro

Well that is it for today, I hope you enjoy it, please comment below what you thought of it!  I hope I can keep making these, and thanks for reading!

-Henry Urbanek