Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line
1.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
54.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 56.7%.
Measured over 1.5K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 10.8 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.5K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 1.5K
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 38 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 89.2%
- Draws
- 10.8%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 30.0% at 1200-1399, 56.8% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1000-1199 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1200-1399 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1400-1599 | — | — | |||
| 1600-1799 | — | — | |||
| 1800-1999 | — | — | |||
| 2000-2199 | — | ||||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 83.4% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 13.7% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (22 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (80 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 63.1% expected score (79 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (484 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (40 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 40.9% expected score (4 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 59.1% expected score (158 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (441 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (47 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 63.3% expected score (89 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.1% expected score (34 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line scores 54.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.5% and 56.7% — from 1.5K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 1.5K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate?
Playing the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line, White wins 49.2%, draws 10.8% and loses 40.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 1.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line perform best?
The Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 61.6% (124 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.6% in Blitz (1.0K games) against 53.4% in Rapid (102 games).
How sharp is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line?
The Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line has a sharpness score of 89.2 (moderately decisive), meaning 89.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 38 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 47.6%, draws 7.4% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 113 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.6%, draws 10.6% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 607 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.7%, draws 11.8% and loses 39.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 647 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 55.4%, draws 12.4% and loses 32.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.6%. It rests on 124 Lichess games, which average 42 moves.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 57.4%, draws 7.2% and loses 35.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 61.0%. It rests on 355 Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 46.7%, draws 11.8% and loses 41.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 1.0K Lichess games.
What is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 46.9%, draws 13.0% and loses 40.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 102 Lichess games.
Is the Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line a good opening?
The Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack, Main Line is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 49.2% of its games and loses 40.0%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.