Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, London Defense
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+
The Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, London Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO C44, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+. It is a line of the Scotch Game. White is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 4,098 times by this move order. White won 53%, 3% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 5. c3 (92% of games).
Engine evaluation: −0.10 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Ba5 7. O-O Bb6)
- ECO
- C44
- Moves
- 8 plies
- FEN
r1bqk1nr/pppp1ppp/2n5/8/1bBpP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 2 5- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1,150 | |
| 1500-1999 | 2,482 | |
| 2000+ | 466 | |
| All | 4,098 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 5. c3 | 3,777 (92%) | |
| 5. Bd2 | 279 (7%) | |
| 5. Nbd2 | 36 (1%) | |
| 5. Kf1 | 3 (0%) | |
| 5. Nfd2 | 1 (0%) | |
| 5. Nc3 | 1 (0%) |
Master games
323 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 56%, draw 10%, Black 34%). The strongest:
- GM Rauf Mamedov (2703) – GM Maxim Matlakov (2700) 0-1 · World Blitz 2018 · 2018-12-29
- GM Dimitrios Mastrovasilis (2587) – GM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (2719) 1/2-1/2 · FIDE World Cup 2023 · 2023-08-04
- GM Gadir Guseinov (2636) – GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (2611) 0-1 · AI Cup Div 3 W · 2023-09-25
- GM Gadir Guseinov (2661) – GM Lucas Van Foreest (2570) 0-1 · Chessable Masters Play-In · 2023-03-13
- GM Adham Fawzy (2488) – GM B. Adhiban (2672) 0-1 · Online Olym Top DivB 2021 · 2021-09-08
Search all games of the Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit, London Defense and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Ante373 (2625) – JelenaZ (2655) 1-0 · 2026-09-02 · 180 + 0s
- FM BlackBoarder (2644) – JelenaZ (2611) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- SuperSayienZ (2502) – slouuurps (2735) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Scotch Game: Scotch Gambit 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4
Continuations
- Scotch Game: Cochrane Variation C44 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. bxc3 Ba5 7. e5
- Scotch Game: Hanneken Variation C44 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bb4+ 5. c3 dxc3 6. O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6 8. Ng5 O-O 9. e5 Nxe5
More Scotch Game lines (all)
- Scotch Game (2… Nc6 3. d4) C44
- Scotch Game (3. d4 exd4) C44
- Scotch Game: Benima Defense C44
- Scotch Game: Cochrane-Shumov Defense C44
- Scotch Game: Göring Gambit C44
- Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Bardeleben Variation C44
- Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice C44
- Scotch Game: Göring Gambit, Main Line C44
- Scotch Game: Haxo Gambit C44
- Scotch Game: Lolli Variation (3. d4 Nxd4) C44
- Scotch Game: Lolli Variation (4… exd4 5. Qxd4) C44
- Scotch Game: Napoleon Gambit C44
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.