Scotch Gambit
Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7
White leaves the pawn on d4 and develops the bishop to c4, aiming at f7.
Practice this lineThe idea
Instead of taking back on d4, White plays 4.Bc4, offering the d-pawn for fast development. The main line is 4...Nf6 5.e5 d5 6.Bb5 Ne4 7.Nxd4 Bd7, with play for both sides.
Plans for White
Use the lead in development and the e5 pawn: castle, win back the d4 pawn with Nxd4, and use the f-pawn (f3 or f4) to challenge Black's knight on e4. The 4...Nf6 line can also arise from the Two Knights Defense, so it helps to know both.
Plans for Black
Strike back with ...d5, put the knight on e4, and develop with ...Bd7, ...Bc5 and ...O-O. Black's pieces become active, and the extra pawn is often returned for a free game.
Watch out for
For Black, f7. With White's bishop on c4 and a knight that can reach g5, natural moves that ignore f7 can lose quickly.
For White, the knight on e4. It is well placed and hard to remove, so plan f3 or f4 to dislodge it.