The Sizzling Scotch Gambit

The Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4!?) is a brazen yet utterly sound system for White who immediately opens up the position, by sacrificing a central pawn, in an attempt to assassinate the enemy king as quickly as possible. The sheer number of ways Black can mishandle the position after merely four moves makes this system a weapon that should be part of any first player’s repertoire if they enjoy highly tactical, dynamic positions full of initiative and attacking possibilities. As with any opening, if Black knows his theory he should emerge with a completely satisfactory position. Yet even at the elite level there have been a number of casualties, making this an opening that should absolutely be a part of any attacking player’s arsenal.