Scotch Game: Classical Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 · C45
Part of Scotch Game
Starting positionWhite to move
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Attack the piece, not the square
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The idea
Black targets the knight on d4 with ...Bc5 and ...Qf6, forcing White to spend moves defending — the standard way to fight the Scotch.
Main line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 Ne5 8.Be2 Qg6
What White wants
- Hold the centre with c3 and Be3 and finish development
- Trade off the active pieces with Bxc5 or Nxc6
- Use the central space on e4 without falling behind in development
What Black wants
- Attack d4 with every piece and never let White rest
- Use pressure on d4 and e4 to gain tempi for development
- Keep the queen active on f6 or g6 and castle long
Key idea
Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.
Attack the piece, not the square
...Bc5 and ...Qf6 both hit d4, but the knight can simply move. The point is that every defensive move White makes costs a tempo, and Black can develop at the same time.
Common mistake
Following the central setup without noticing the change after ...Qg6. The queen now eyes e4 and g2 rather than d4, so White should reassess the threats and finish development instead of defending a square that is no longer under the same pressure.
Representative position
The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.
r1b1k2r/ppppnppp/6q1/2b1n3/3NP3/2P1B3/PP2BPPP/RN1QK2R w KQkq - 5 9
Analyze this position