Scotch Game questions

Don’t scotch bad for helth 

...I have a few questions about the Scotch game itself

1. When Black doesn't play main line moves, is it ok to play in an English Attack style where you play be3 qd2 and 0-0-0? Sub-2000, you can pretty much play anything you are comfortable with unless it is completely refuted and you think the opponents might refute it in your game. Even at higher levels, I think it is okay for White to castle Queenside in this way though. In fact, interesting for Black is the Malaniuk Variation 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ (4...Bc5 is the Classical Mainline). The idea of this Bishop check is to provoke 5. c3 (c3 is objectively White's best move, but Nc3 and Bd2 are sometimes played - although inferior) and then retreat the Bishop to c5 as in the classical mainline. Why does Black want c3 played then? The answer is multifaceted and somewhat positional in some concepts, but one of the reasons is to deter White from castling Queenside. In the mainline without c3 (classical etc.), White castling Queenside aggressively is an option I think.

2. I've heard that the Scotch isn't used much at the higher ratings. Is that true? If true, why? I don't think it is true. There just haven't really been many players lately to specialize in the Scotch Game, but it is solid for sure. Kasparov utilized the Scotch Game as the White pieces during the 1980s when he was on the rise and this opening served Kasparov's tactical ability well. 

3. Are there any crazy variations that black can employ that someone should know about? Probably, but I can't think of any right now. As a 1. d4 player, I seldom get this opening anymore but if you play it enough, then I'm sure it is just a matter of time before someone tries something crazy against you lol

4. In a main line Scotch, what are the main goals and themes? Massive generalizing is needed to answer this because the Scotch Game is such a broad descriptor - it is an entire opening! That is like saying, what are the main goals and themes of the Ruy Lopez opening? I could say a few common ideas or patterns in the Ruy Lopez, but so many variations differ so much and the Scotch Game is this way too. 

Generally speaking though, the Scotch Game is mostly about White taking the center right away and opening up the position for tactical ideas. Due to this, White usually plays aggressively and piece development is a big part of this since the board typically opens up and the better developed faction is usually best in these open positions. 

Thank you in advance

I played the scotch to get to 1100 not sure if there was any significance probably not since im horrible but ive started to play qh4 after exd4 kxd4. In the scotch i cant remember how the line went but theres a chance for white to play qg4 or something and side swipe. Youre probably going to be insulted by the video im going to link but at 20 minutes in he discusses what to do in the scotch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbNbkIx6REE

The Scotch is frequently played at the highest level.  I believe Kasparov said at one point that it is the only serious alternative to the RL for a white advantage after e4 e5.  

This wasn't a mainline scotch though. Nf6 and Bc5 (maybe even Bb4) are the main moves after Nxd4.  After d6 I assume Nxc6 is the theoretical move, although no one has ever played d6 against me. Even there, you can find a wide variety of plans for both sides.

As for your English attack plans, black frequently castles in both directions so going right into an English attack probably won't work.

The scotch can get pretty complex, particularly in the Nf6 lines, plenty of interesting play for both sides. 

@ninjaswat against Qh4 Chigorin's old move Nb5 brought me easy wins.

The Scotch is frequently played at the highest level.  I believe Kasparov said at one point that it is the only serious alternative to the RL for a white advantage after e4 e5.  

Proven very wrong by the resurgance in the Italian game by Carlsen, Kramnik and others.  

The Italian game never left. It has always been trotted out by the best of the best, that doesn't imply it has the same theoretical standing as the Ruy.  If you are saying that frequency of play dictates theoretical viability, in the last candidates we had about 3 times the number of Ruys as we did Italians.

Nobody has said that the Spanish isn't better than the Italian. What are you replying to?

Nobody has said that the Spanish isn't better than the Italian. What are you replying to?

Thanks man, I honestly don't know where all these crazy people on this site come from. 

you said, "I believe Kasparov said at one point that it is the only serious alternative to the RL for a white advantage after e4 e5."

the irish spaghetti guy then wrote, "Proven very wrong by the resurgance in the Italian game by Carlsen, Kramnik and others," saying that what kasparov said about the scotch being the only alternative to the ruy was false.

you said, "I believe Kasparov said at one point that it is the only serious alternative to the RL for a white advantage after e4 e5."

the irish spaghetti guy then wrote, "Proven very wrong by the resurgance in the Italian game by Carlsen, Kramnik and others," saying that what kasparov said about the scotch being the only alternative to the ruy was false.