Scotch GameC45
White plays 3.d4 and takes the tension out of the centre at once: after 3…exd4 4.Nxd4 the e5-pawn is gone, the d-file and e-file are half open, and White's knight sits in the middle of the board asking Black a question. There are two serious answers. The Classical 4…Bc5 hits that knight and is met by Be3 and c3, a position where White has more space and Black has quick, natural development; the Mieses 4…Nf6 invites Nxc6 and e5, a knight on d5, a doubled c-pawn and a queen trade or a fight over the e5-pawn — sharper, and more the reason to play the opening. The plans that follow are fixed by the structure rather than the move order: f3 or f4 to fix the centre, the light-squared bishop to c4 or e2, castle short and use the space. What goes wrong is being greedy: 8…Qg6 and 6…Qxe4 both offer a pawn, and taking one back too early gives Black the development that is the whole point of 3.d4.
Played by
- Garry Kasparov — revived it in the 1990 title match against Karpov, after a century in which nobody at the top took 3.d4 seriously
- Jacques Mieses — the 4…Nf6 5.Nxc6 line carries his name, and his games are still the model for White's e5 push
Model game
Kasparov – Karpov, World Championship, Lyon 1990
Next: e4 — yours
