Scotch Game win rate

White scored 54.8% (margin 0.5 points) in 38,672 rated games of the Scotch Game, ECO C44, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 11 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 2.4% of all games.

52.8%

43.3%

White wins 52.8%
Draws 3.9%
Black wins 43.3%

38,672 games

How often does White win in the Scotch Game?

White won 52.8% of the 38,672 games, 3.9% were drawn and Black won 43.3%. White's score of 54.8% is higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 2.9 points, more than the margin of 0.5 points.

Results of 38,672 games of the Scotch Game, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	20,431	52.8%
Draws	1,507	3.9%
Black wins	16,734	43.3%

Does the Scotch Game score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 1200 to 1599 (55.5%) and lowest at 2000 and above (53.0%). That spread of 2.5 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 1200 to 1599 choose the Scotch Game most often relative to their other openings, in 3.0 percent of their games.

White's score in the Scotch Game by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	6,937	2.5%	55.2%	1.1
1200 to 1599	17,251	3.0%	55.5%	0.7
1600 to 1999	12,761	2.1%	53.8%	0.8
2000 and above	1,723	1.1%	53.0%	2.3

How does the Scotch Game do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Scotch Game by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	26,234	54.5%	0.6
Rapid	12,109	55.4%	0.9

What are the most played lines of the Scotch Game?

The most played named line is the Lolli Variation, with 7,834 games and a White score of 56.7%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Scotch Game, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Lolli Variation	7,834	56.7%	1.1
Classical Variation	2,846	53.1%	1.8
Scotch Gambit	2,547	56.3%	1.9
Schmidt Variation	1,724	51.5%	2.3
Haxo Gambit	1,550	59.0%	2.4
Göring Gambit, Double Pawn Sacrifice	876	58.7%	3.2
Göring Gambit	861	57.2%	3.3
Benima Defense	826	55.6%	3.3
Scotch Gambit, Advance Variation	773	53.0%	3.5
Scotch Gambit, Sarratt Variation	632	52.9%	3.8
Main line and less played lines	15,371	54.3%	0.8

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Scotch Game?

White won 52.8%, drew 3.9% and lost 43.3% of 38,672 games, a White score of 54.8% with a margin of 0.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Scotch Game good for White?

At these ratings White's score was higher than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 2.9 points, more than the margin of 0.5 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Scotch Game?

The Lolli Variation was the most played named line, with 7,834 games, which is 20.3% of the games of the Scotch Game.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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