Mieses Variation

Scotch Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4

After 4...Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5, White drives Black's knight back and grabs space.

The idea

After 4...Nf6 (the Schmidt Variation), White trades with 5.Nxc6 bxc6 and pushes 6.e5, attacking the knight. The main line is 6...Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4: White has gained space with tempo, and Black's knight must move again.

Plans for White

Keep the e5 pawn strong, finish development with g3 and Bg2 or b3 and Bb2, and castle. Black's queen on e7 blocks the bishop on f8, so White is ahead in development.

Plans for Black

Move the knight from d5 to b6 or pin the c4 pawn with ...Ba6. Then aim to undermine e5 with ...d6 or ...f6, and get the queen off e7 so the bishop on f8 can develop.

Watch out for

For White, the e5 pawn and the e-file. White's queen on e2 and Black's queen on e7 face each other, so moving the e5 pawn or the queen carelessly can lose material on the e-file.

For Black, a slow game. If Black can't free the bishop on f8 and play ...d6, White's extra space becomes a lasting advantage.