Scotch Gambit puzzles
Development at the highest possible speed, aimed at a king that has one move too few to get out of the way.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 1125–2334
- Section: Open Games
- 5 levels
What the Scotch Gambit produces tactically
After the d-pawn is traded, White declines to recapture on d4 and develops instead, putting a bishop on c4 and a knight into the centre while Black is still deciding what to do with the extra pawn. The result is an open e-file, an open centre, and a black king that has not castled.
That combination produces a small number of shapes over and over. A check on the e-file that gains a move. A queen arriving near f7 with a second attacker already there. A knight landing on g5 or d5 where it cannot be taken because of the pin behind it. All of these need the black king to still be in the middle, which is why the whole opening is a race against castling.
How to spot it
- Look down the e-file first in any Scotch Gambit position. Both kings spend time on it and only one of them usually gets off.
- Checks that gain time are worth more than the material here. Calculate them even when they look like they achieve nothing.
- A pin against the king in an open centre changes what can be captured. Recount every capture after a pin appears.
- If you are Black and every move looks fine, check what happens after the centre opens in one move rather than in three.
Three Scotch Gambit positions
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
White to move. Find the best move.
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19...Qg6 20.Qxg6#
The line ends in checkmate. The Scotch Gambit opens lines while the pieces are still coming out, and the middlegames it leads to stay open enough for a forcing move to land.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1268 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
White to move. Find the best move.
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16...Qxd2 17.Bxe4 Qxc2 18.Bxc2
The line wins a piece. The Scotch Gambit opens lines while the pieces are still coming out, and the middlegames it leads to stay open enough for a forcing move to land.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1638 for difficulty. The answer reaches a clear advantage.
Position 3
White to move. Find the best move.
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17...Qe6 18.Bxb6 axb6 19.Nd4
The line comes out level on material and ahead on position. The Scotch Gambit opens lines while the pieces are still coming out, and the middlegames it leads to stay open enough for a forcing move to land.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 2014 for difficulty. The answer reaches a clear advantage.
Playing against the Scotch Gambit
The defence is the same one that works against most open gambits and it is harder to execute than to state. Return the pawn at the moment it costs you the least, finish developing, and get the king off the e-file. Almost every accident in this opening happens to a defender who was one move from being fine.
The specific thing to avoid is grabbing on the queenside while the centre is still open. A pawn taken on b2 in this structure regularly costs the game outright, and it is the single most common way club players lose to the Scotch Gambit.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between the Scotch Game and the Scotch Gambit?
In the Scotch Game White recaptures on d4 with the knight and plays a normal open game. In the Scotch Gambit White plays Bc4 instead, leaving the pawn on d4 uncaptured for now and prioritising development.
Is the Scotch Gambit good for beginners?
It is one of the better first gambits to learn, because the compensation is easy to see and easy to explain: pieces out, king in the centre, e-file open. Those are the three things a developing player most needs to start counting.
Nearby patterns
Scotch Gambit sits in Open Games. The rest of that section: