The Scotch Game: Essentials (White Repertoire)

By Theo van Stratum

The Scotch Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) challenges the centre immediately rather than developing quietly the way the Italian Game or Ruy Lopez do -- it was World Champion Garry Kasparov's main weapon against 1...e5 for much of his career, and has enjoyed a strong modern revival at every level. Covers the Classical Variation (4...Bc5), the Modern Main Line where Black develops the king's knight first (4...Nf6), the aggressive Scotch Gambit (4.Bc4), and the Four Knights Transposition that arises after 5.Nc3.